The Center for Presidential Transition’s comprehensive guide on the activities required during the transition. This guide for the 2024 presidential election cycle was produced in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group. It features detailed outlines of transition best practices, historical materials from past transitions, and recommendations for a successful presidential transition to a new or second-term administration.

Federal agencies face a cascading series of challenges before and after a presidential election and into the early months of a new or second-term administration. Since 2008, the Partnership for Public Service has provided resources to federal agencies, while promoting knowledge-sharing and collaboration, to strengthen presidential transitions.

The Agency Transition Guide­­ has been developed by the Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition® and Boston Consulting Group, informed by conversations with federal leaders and other presidential transition experts. It provides lessons learned from past transitions at federal agencies and includes best practices and key decision points to help senior career executives lead successful transition planning efforts.

While this guide focuses on presidential transitions, most federal agencies will also experience a change in political leadership at least once during an administration. The practices outlined in this guide apply to principal leadership transitions independent of the election cycle.

The guide for incoming Cabinet secretaries is designed to support a new secretary lead effectively from day one and make an impact as the leader of a large and complex organization. Informed by insights from senior federal leaders, it outlines best practices to build an effective team, advance the administration’s agenda, and work effectively with key stakeholders.

This study, prepared by the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition and the Boston Consulting Group, analyzes how newly elected presidents have allocated their time between the election and the inauguration, how their spouses handled the transition and the post-election roles taken by presidential running mates.

The transition between a president’s first and second term has been both under-explored and undervalued, but it presents unique opportunities and challenges. In the joint paper from the Miller Center and the Center for Presidential Transition explores the lessons of history to provide a roadmap for future presidents’ fifth years.

Read more: University of Virginia’s Miller Center

A paper by UVA’s Miller Center Director and CEO William Antholis and Center for Presidential Transition Director David Marchick featuring lessons learned from previous transitions that occurred during political and economic crises.

This document, prepared by the Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition® and the law firms of Steptoe & Johnson and Holland & Knight collects historical examples of decisions previous administrations have made when vetting prospective political appointees. It includes updates for the 2020 presidential transition cycle.

The Center for Presidential Transition’s comprehensive guide on the activities required during the transition. This guide for the 2020 presidential election cycle was produced in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group. It features detailed outlines of transition best practices, historical materials from past transitions, and recommendations for a successful presidential transition to a new or second-term administration.

Preparing for the enormous responsibility of running the federal government is the most important job for any presidential candidate.