Federal agencies are extremely large and complex organizations with critical missions that range from safeguarding our borders to protecting us from disease. Managing these organizations effectively and ensuring that they achieve their goals is no easy task, and it is the responsibility of the chief operating officer (COO).

What role do COOs play in agencies? What are their top priorities and challenges? What is the state of management in federal agencies? Those are the questions the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton set out to understand in the inaugural report, “Bridging Mission and Management: A Survey of Government Chief Operating Officers.”