The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) was established in 1993 to bring together health, education, and social service agencies to address the needs of children and families in two eastern North Carolina counties. As the staff grew from 2 to 20 and communication within and outside the Partnership became more complex, an analysis of internal and external communication patterns identified strategies for organizational development. Heightened awareness of formal and information networks and recognition of needs to coordinate contacts with clients and other agencies helped the staff improve the way they worked with each other and with their stakeholder groups. The analysis of internal and external communication patterns was a useful component of the evaluation of this interagency partnership and helped staff members understand some of the challenges of their boundary spanning roles. Program monitoring was used for evaluation and management. The information regarding communication patterns was used by the staff in their strategic planning process. This technique for describing communication patterns and examining boundary spanning roles can be used for program monitoring in other settings, including educational arenas. An appendix presents the evaluation survey, which asks staff members to list the people they most frequently contacted during a typical month. (Contains 3 figures and 15 references.) (Author/SLD)