The Public Management Occasional Papers are specialised reports prepared for the work of the OECD's Public Management Committee. This publication focuses on the reform strategies used in Portugal. The success or failure of reforms depends largely on how the questions of "how to start" and "how to proceed" are addressed. Portugal offers a valuable example. Twenty years ago, a reform movement was launched to modernise the country and its public service. This publication describes that reform, which came to put service to the citizen first, underlines its innovative aspects, and draws some interesting lessons to the attention of practitioners in other countries.