This guide contains the Center for Presidential Transition’s recommendations for agency review efforts before and after the election. It outlines the information that agency review and landing teams need to gather to best inform comprehensive policy implementation plans and briefing documents for appointees. Included are two practical table of contents that can be modified by transition teams.
These graphics show the stakeholders and interrelationships in the federal budget process. The first graphic overlays the status of the three fiscal year budgets that are managed concurrently. The second includes more detail for an ideal budget cycle.
Fourteen sample job descriptions including agency overview, compensation level, responsibilities, requirements and competencies adapted from interviews with the Partnership for Public Service’s CFO SAGE (Strategic Advisor to Government Executives) community and public websites.
Twenty sample position descriptions for the position of agency deputy secretaries. Descriptions include agency overview, compensation level, responsibilities, requirements and competencies adapted from work produced by the Romney Readiness Project and public websites, and refined through interviews. Includes a list of recent incumbents and their backgrounds.
In preparation for the upcoming presidential transition, the Senior Executives Association (SEA) Professional Development League (PDL) has released its inaugural transition handbook, designed specifically for federal career executives, to help guide and advise them during this time of presidential transition.
A presidential transition is a time of change for the country—but nowhere is that change more acutely felt than in the federal government itself. A new wave of politicians and political appointees will come in to reset agendas and missions, causing career civil servants to feel anxiety over the unknown elements that will change the nature of their jobs. This added employee stress has the potential to severely diminish employee engagement, mitigating governmental effectiveness before the transition and after the next administration takes over.
To reduce anxiety and prevent false information from spreading, managers must find ways to creatively and proactively communicate with employees. Read the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte’s latest Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® analysis to learn more about the essentials of communicating with federal employees during a presidential transition.
While many Federal employees have experienced one or more Presidential transitions, for many this will be their first. This overview, published by the General Services Administration, is designed to help all federal employees—both career and appointees—better understand and engage in the transition process to ensure a smooth Presidential transition. Includes sections on:
- Transition Activities
- Presidential Transition Timeline
- Agency Transition Directors Council
- White House Transition Coordinating Council
- Frequently Asked Questions
The General Services Administration (GSA) plays an important role in Presidential Transition, including providing a variety of services needed to help them assume their official duties. This website outlines the responsibilities and services that the agency provides.
Executive Order 13476 from President Obama establishes the White House Transition Coordinating Council and the Agency Transition Directors Council.
This memorandum from OMB Director Shaun Donovan to agency and department heads outlines the Obama administration’s plans for the development the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget focusing on a submission that will provide a complete current services budget baseline for an incoming administration.
Donovan directs agencies to wait until the new administration, or its transition team, is in place to complete the normal director’s review or “passback processes” with OMB this September, as is typical in non-presidential election years. A current services baseline provides an estimate of costs to carry on existing programs and assumes no policy changes. That will allow the winner of this November’s election to assess current spending levels and make his or her own policy decisions.