The next presidential administration will have the task of managing the implementation of several ongoing major investment initiatives—taking over these programs mid-execution while at the same time setting its own priorities for implementation. This resource outlines how presidential transition teams can apply best practices to ensure the next administration is equipped to take over the management of these significant federal investment programs.
Read the full report on ourpublicservice.org.
The time before and after a presidential election typically brings shifts in agency dynamics and personnel. Career civil servants must work to support the continuity of government and some senior career executives will be called on to serve temporarily in key positions previously held by political appointees to ensure that agency priorities are met.
For senior career executives stepping in to serve as acting officials during a transition of leadership or administration, the Partnership for Public Service offers Ready to Act. This 90-minute seminar is designed to help leaders prepare for and understand what to expect in their temporary new roles.
Materials produced for incoming appointees in past transitions were longer and more detailed than those produced for the temporary appointees who arrived immediately following the inauguration. Referred to as the agency’s “owner’s manual” this material is for incoming appointees. The manual includes a more detailed discussion of the items contained in the briefing materials for the president-elect’s representatives, along with several new areas of discussion including historical issues within the agency and issues raised by oversight bodies.
Agency review teams that arrive at agencies post-election look for information to help make decisions on certain appointments, including potential holdovers and key career staff, and to develop an assessment of conditions inside the agency for the president-elect. The materials created for these teams should be concise and tailored to three main priorities. Key elements of this briefing are outlined below.
This document is a template for creating your bureau/component’s executive overview in preparation for the presidential transition. The information provided can be incorporated into final briefing materials for incoming leaders. If any of the subcomponents of this document require further explanation, use the deep-dive topic template provided here.
This document is a template for creating a deep-dive report on an issue. This template may be used to provide a more detailed explanation of any specific component in an executive summary, or may be used to create separate policy-item, budget-item, management issues or other specific item reports. The information provided will be incorporated into final briefing materials for incoming leaders.
This document is a template for creating the executive overview for an agency’s office/region to be incorporated into final briefing materials for incoming leaders. If any of the subcomponents of this document require further explanation, use the deep-dive topic template provided here.