Key Issues > Leading Practices in Collaboration Across Governments, Nonprofits, and the Private Sector
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Leading Practices in Collaboration Across Governments, Nonprofits, and the Private Sector

GAO has identified a set of practices that can help the federal, state, local, and private sectors collaborate effectively—including defining common outcomes, and agreeing on roles and responsibilities.

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Achieving important national outcomes (such as food safety, economic development, environmental restoration, and planning for and responding to a pandemic) requires the coordinated efforts of the federal government, state and local governments, nonprofits, and the private sector.

Federal agencies face a range of challenges and barriers when they try to work collaboratively. However, they can enhance and sustain their collaborative efforts by engaging in the following practices:

  • Define and articulate a common outcome.
  • Establish mutually reinforcing or joint strategies.
  • Identify and address needs by leveraging resources.
  • Agree on roles and responsibilities.
  • Establish compatible policies, procedures, and other means to operate across agency boundaries.
  • Develop mechanisms to monitor, evaluate, and report on results.
  • Reinforce agency accountability for collaborative efforts through agency plans and reports.
  • Reinforce individual accountability for collaborative efforts through performance management systems.

Additionally, federal agencies have used a variety of mechanisms to implement interagency collaborative efforts—such as the President appointing a coordinator, agencies co-locating within one facility, and interagency task forces. These mechanisms can address things like policy development, program implementation, oversight and monitoring, information sharing and communication, and building organizational capacity (e.g., staffing and training). Agencies often use more than one mechanism to address an issue.

Although these mechanisms differ in complexity and scope, they all have certain key features, which raise issues to consider when implementing them.

Key Considerations

Looking for our recommendations? Click on any report to find each associated recommendation and its current implementation status.
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Managing for Results: Implementation Approaches Used to Enhance Collaboration in Interagency Groups

GAO-14-220: Published: Feb 14, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 14, 2014.

The interagency groups GAO selected and expert practitioners—including those who received the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award—have used a range of approaches to address some of the key considerations for implementing interagency collaborative mechanisms, related to defining outcomes; measuring performance and ensuring accountability; establishing leadership approaches; and using resource...

Managing for Results: Key Considerations for Implementing Interagency Collaborative Mechanisms

GAO-12-1022: Published: Sep 27, 2012. Publicly Released: Sep 27, 2012.

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GAO-09-1011T: Published: Sep 24, 2009. Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2009.

Since 1997, periodic GAO surveys indicate that overall, federal managers have more performance information available, but have not made greater use of this information for decision making. To understand the barriers and opportunities for more widespread use, GAO was asked to (1) examine key management practices in an agency in which managers' reported use of performance information has improved; (...

Results-Oriented Government: Practices That Can Help Enhance and Sustain Collaboration among Federal Agencies

GAO-06-15: Published: Oct 21, 2005. Publicly Released: Oct 21, 2005.

The federal government faces a series of challenges in the 21st century that will be difficult, if not impossible, for any single agency to address alone. Many issues cut across more than one agency and their actions are not well coordinated. Moreover, agencies face a range of barriers when they attempt to work collaboratively. This report identifies key practices that can help enhance and sustain...

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