Unlock Government Efficiency Across Executive Leadership

Drive operational excellence, deliver on modernization mandates and prove outcomes that matter.

Toolkit to Unlock Government Efficiency Across Executive Leadership

Access a curated selection of Gartner resources to lead with greater efficiency in government.

By clicking the "Continue" button, you are agreeing to the Gartner Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Contact Information

All fields are required.

Company/Organization Information

All fields are required.

Optional

Drive efficiency, prove value and lead with impact

Public sector executives are under pressure to modernize, reduce costs and deliver real results fast — all while still meeting mission demands. This toolkit equips leaders across the c-suite with role-specific strategies to:

  • Link technology, talent and financial strategies to measurable performance improvement
  • Identify high-impact opportunities to reduce cost and improve mission outcomes
  • Align operational, modernization and delivery goals across executive leadership
  • Demonstrate success through clear, outcome-based metrics

Download the full toolkit to lead with greater efficiency — and prove it.

3 foundational pillars to achieve government efficiency

Government leaders must align operations, modernization and service delivery to maximize mission success. Explore how Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and Chief Supply Chain Officers (CSCOs) can work together to drive measurable outcomes, and ultimately achieve government efficiency.

Streamline operations to free up resources, improve productivity and drive measurable mission impact.

Across all levels of government, leaders are under growing pressure to deliver better outcomes with limited resources. Rising service expectations, workforce constraints and aging systems make operational efficiency more critical than ever. But improving efficiency isn’t just about reducing spend — it’s about aligning people, technology and funding to eliminate duplication, enhance service delivery and create capacity for strategic initiatives. Success requires collaboration across the c-suite to shift from reactive management to proactive, data-informed decisions.

What does this mean for CIOs?

CIOs must move beyond defending IT budgets and instead demonstrate how technology investments drive operational efficiency, cost savings and mission performance. Efficiency is no longer just a financial imperative — it’s a strategic one. This means:

  • Link IT projects to measurable financial savings that benefit the broader organization as well as external stakeholders.

  • Shift from cost justification to proactive efficiency advocacy.

  • Ensure IT directly contributes to workforce productivity and successful mission execution.

  • Identify and eliminate technical debt that undermines service delivery and modernization efforts.

What does this mean for CFOs?

CFOs must drive operational efficiency by balancing cost reductions with mission continuity. They must respond to heightened expectations for transparency, performance and workforce management — while ensuring financial operations remain resilient through change. To lead effectively:

  • Build a framework to measure, manage and report on agency performance against mission outcomes.

  • Work with budget owners to reduce costs without compromising critical services.

  • Streamline financial operations and redeploy resources to the agency’s highest priorities.

  • Maintain open communication with finance staff to build trust and reduce uncertainty during change.

What does this mean for CSCOs?

Supply chain leaders must drive operational efficiency by focusing on outcomes that directly support mission success — not just short-term cost cuts. To operate efficiently:

  • Align supply chain operations with agency service delivery and citizen needs.

  • Conduct root-cause analysis to improve processes rather than applying blanket cost reductions.

  • Improve inventory management to reduce carrying costs while maintaining resilience.

  • Collaborate with finance, IT and operations to align procurement, logistics and technology strategies.

  • Work with executive leadership to develop unified approaches to tariff and trade impacts.

Invest in modernization that strengthens resilience, supports evolving needs and accelerates mission outcomes.

Across governments of all sizes and geographies, modernization is critical to meeting evolving public expectations and improving operational resilience. But true modernization goes beyond technology upgrades — it requires rethinking how people, processes, technology and infrastructure work together to drive mission outcomes.

Success demands coordinated investment, cross-functional collaboration and a focus on outcomes that matter most to citizens and stakeholders. Leaders must balance modernization ambitions with practical execution, ensuring that every initiative strengthens the organization’s ability to deliver services efficiently, securely and sustainably.

What does this mean for CIOs?

The need to modernize government IT systems is clear, but success requires a focused strategy. Without aligning upgrades to mission priorities, modernization efforts risk becoming fragmented, costly and ineffective. CIOs must ensure that every technology investment advances measurable agency goals. To modernize effectively:

  • Upgrade legacy applications to be scalable, secure and cloud-ready to support evolving needs.

  • Strengthen network infrastructure to improve connectivity, security and workforce productivity.

  • Enhance interoperability to enable seamless data-sharing and collaboration across agencies, to the extent allowed by laws and regulations.

  • Invest in data management practices that support governance, security and mission-driven analytics.

What does this mean for CFOs?

CFOs must lead finance modernization efforts by partnering across functions to maximize the impact of technology investments. Modernization success depends not just on new tools, but also on clear value demonstration and adoption across the agency. To modernize effectively:

  • Partner with CIOs to optimize the use of existing technologies and drive modernization initiatives.

  • Review examples of AI adoption in government to identify opportunities for cost reduction and service improvement.

  • Engage directly with finance system users to improve adoption, identify gaps and maximize return on investment.

  • Define clear performance metrics that link technology investments to financial efficiency and mission support.

What does this mean for CSCOs?

Supply chain modernization must focus on building agile, resilient networks that support evolving agency priorities. To modernize effectively:

  • Digitize procurement and logistics operations to increase transparency and agility.

  • Implement AI and analytics to optimize forecasting, inventory management and supplier performance.

  • Support new program launches, emergency responses and modernization initiatives with resilient supply networks.

  • Evaluate tariff exposure and proactively adjust sourcing and supplier strategies.

  • Present data-driven insights to agency leadership to inform modernization investments and trade-off decisions.

Demonstrate the value of transformation efforts through clear metrics, improved services and strategic agility

Modernizing operations and systems is only meaningful if it leads to real, measurable improvements in public service delivery and mission execution. Governments must demonstrate that investments in efficiency and modernization translate into outcomes that matter — from citizen satisfaction to matters of national and global security.

To deliver successfully, leaders across IT, Finance and Supply Chain must establish clear performance metrics, monitor progress in real time and adapt quickly as priorities evolve. Success lies in connecting operational efforts to strategic goals — and proving that every initiative drives value for the communities and missions served.

What does this mean for CIOs?

Modernization and efficiency efforts must ultimately translate into clear, outcome-driven results. CIOs must demonstrate IT’s contributions to mission success and operational excellence to a diverse range of stakeholders — including executive leadership, citizens and partners. This means:

  • Align IT initiatives with agency goals using objectives and key results (OKRs) frameworks.

  • Measure and report progress through outcome-driven metrics (ODMs) that tie IT efforts to mission impact.

  • Implement real-time reporting frameworks that communicate IT’s contributions clearly and accessibly for decision-makers.

  • Proactively demonstrate how technology enables better service delivery, security and citizen engagement.

What does this mean for CFOs?

CFOs must prove that finance functions deliver measurable impact aligned to improving mission outcomes. Strong performance measurement frameworks and resilient financial strategies help demonstrate that modernization efforts are producing results. To deliver successfully:

  • Establish outcome-based key performance indicators (KPIs) that connect finance operations to agency mission objectives.

  • Communicate clearly about trade-offs made during cost reductions to maintain employee engagement and service quality.

  • Prioritize rapid knowledge transfer during workforce transitions to safeguard institutional memory.

  • Track and report on financial and operational improvements achieved through modernization and efficiency efforts.

What does this mean for CSCOs?

Supply chain leaders must show how modernization and operational efficiency translate into mission impact. To deliver successfully:

  • Set and track clear operating outcomes that link supply chain performance to mission success.

  • Monitor service levels and adjust supply chain operations to meet changing priorities and citizen needs.

  • Use inventory excellence and supply resilience to support emergency preparedness and service continuity.

  • Align supply chain metrics with agency-wide performance goals and strategic plans.

  • Maintain flexibility in response strategies, balancing short-term cost pressures with long-term resilience.

Experience Gartner Conferences

Join your peers for the unveiling of the latest insights at Gartner conferences.

Drive stronger performance on your mission-critical priorities.