Selected GAO Best Practices Work

Welcome to GAO's Best Practices home page! Through this link, you can readily access best practices work GAO has issued since 1990. The work included on this page is organized under three broad categories according to the following criteria:

Best Practices Reviews identify other public and private sector organizations that are widely recognized for major improvements in their performace in a specific area, such as financial management. The processes, practices, and systems identified in these leading organizations are referred to as best practices and provide a model for other organizations with similar functions and/or missions.

Comparative Benchmarking Products compare the processes or practices of a government agency with best practices for similar processes of leading organizations.

Best Practices Methodology studies use the processes, practices, and systems from best practice reviews to provide a framework for assessing similar programs, operations, or functions.

Because organizations are diverse and complex, wholesale changes designed to emulate those of a leading organization may not be effective for another agency. Thus, an agency/organization seeking to adopt the best practice techniques of leading organizations should first understand the similarities and differences between itself and those organizations and then the causal links between the successes of the leading organizations and the best practice techniques.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail us at bestpractices@gao.gov

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