Agency Transition Guide

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 worked with federal agencies to promote knowledge-sharing, support collaboration and provide resources to strengthen presidential transitions.

The agency transition guide has been developed by the Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition® and the 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 the presidential transition, most federal agencies will experience a change in political leadership at least once during an administration. The practices outlined also apply to principal leadership transitions independent of the election cycle.