This post is part of an ongoing series about small ways to create operational efficiency in local government. Read the first post in the series, 3 Keys to Improving Cross-Department Collaboration in Modern Government.

Local government is built on people, in more ways than one. Government exists to serve the people – but it’s the people who make up individual agencies that allow the government to fulfill its obligation to the public and truly deliver service.

Like any complex organization, the intricacies that power the small, everyday moments that keep the wheels turning are largely undocumented, stored as expertise in the minds of key employees. Whether it’s the specific history of a community dispute or the "unwritten" steps to resolving a complex permit, this organizational knowledge is what keeps agencies running smoothly.

But what happens when those key employees decide it’s time to retire or move on?

The Retirement Wave is Here

If it feels like your veteran staff members are all eyeing the exit at once, you aren't imagining it. According to a 2024 State and Local Workforce Survey, 54% of local government HR managers anticipate a significant number of retirements over the next few years.

The worrying part? Only 32% of those agencies have a formal succession plan in place to handle the transition. Without a strategy to capture that knowledge, your agency risks "reinventing the wheel" every time a seat becomes empty.

4 Ways to Protect Your Agency’s Expertise

Documentation is vital to preserving institutional knowledge, but so is building a culture of transparency and stability.

1. Document, Document, Document

If a process only exists in a "verbal tradition," it's at risk. Establishing formally documented, centralized, accessible procedures ensures that new hires have a foundation for success from day one.

Process documentation provides several benefits:

It helps new employees ramp up faster
It ensures consistency in how services are delivered
It provides a reference for evaluating and improving workflows

Department leaders can play a key role by establishing expectations around documenting procedures. This includes determining where documentation will live, how it will be maintained, and how often processes should be reviewed and updated. Over time, building this habit creates a reliable foundation of knowledge the entire organization can draw from.

2. Formalize Mentorship

By pairing experienced employees with newer staff members, agencies can create structured opportunities for sharing practical skills, historical context, and institutional insights.

Mentorship is also a valuable tool in strengthening organizational structure. It builds bridges between different generations of employees, helping to foster trust and collaboration.

3. Encourage Knowledge Sharing

Cultural change is just as important as process management. Individual departments must be responsible for their own documentation, but establishing an agency-wide initiative can help alleviate fears that the request to document precedes eliminating redundancies. When sharing is the norm, everyone wins.

4. Plan for the Future Today

Workforce changes are an inevitable part of operations. Succession planning helps agencies prepare for these transitions before they occur. By identifying potential future leaders and providing them with opportunities to build skills and experience, organizations can ensure continuity in critical roles, mitigating the risk of sudden vacancies and keeping service delivery stable.

Build a More Resilient Government

When institutional knowledge is siloed in minds rather than systems, your agency's efficiency is on a timer. Strengthening your internal documentation and planning is the first step toward a more effective, "future-proof" government.

Want the full roadmap for a more efficient agency? Capturing organizational knowledge is just one piece of the puzzle. In our full ebook, Happier Staff, Happier Residents: Improving Operational Efficiency for More Effective Government, we dive deep into six areas of focus that help local governments do more with less.

Download the full resource for the complete guide.

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