Within the federal government, training has traditionally been developed in organizational stovepipes, each agency expending resources to develop or acquire their own training. However, current training trends, directives, and advances in technology facilitating greater collaboration among federal agencies. Such collaboration fosters efficiency and consistency, resulting in greater cost savings and higher-quality training.

This paper examines a model developed in the context of interagency collaborative training development, with potential applicability for similar undertakings. Success and insights gained from these efforts generalize to best practices for inter-organizational collaboration beyond the specific field of training development. The model organizes principles of collaboration in five areas: (1) strategic focus, (2) leadership and governance, (3) interpersonal dynamics and trust, (4) tools, resources, and support, and (5) processes, products, and results. Checklists are provided for the application of these principles. The principles hold true for not only the design and development of individual programs, but also the lifecycle management of those programs.

The primary purpose of this paper is to advocate for collaboration: it provides advice on and methods for collaborating within individual federal agencies and particularly among federal agencies. Secondarily, the guidance in this paper can assist federal agencies in increasing their collaborative efforts with agencies at other levels of government, non-profit organizations, industry, and academic organizations.