ASYCUDA++ IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE Ó UNCTAD - SITE (V1.15) B.11 To   ensure   that   the   project   achieves   its   objectives,   a   clearly   defined   and   dynamic   project organisation is required. The management framework must provide to the project teams: ·     Clear leadership and communication; ·     Clearly defined and assigned responsibilities; ·     Transparency for all stakeholders; ·     Consistent planning and monitoring; ·     Regular, informative reporting; ·     Firm control Implementation While a draft implementation plan is usually drawn up at the Project Document stage, many factors or aspects are involved in determining the ‘right’ implementation strategy for any particular country. It  is  normal  practice  to  adopt  a  phased  approach,  with  the  first  phase   emphasising  a  detailed situation assessment and the technical and functional training of the core teams made up from local staff.  After staff have received initial training they can commence building and configuration of the system to local specification. The installation of the trial system at a pilot site is usually the next step, to allow running in parallel and testing. The modular construction of ASYCUDA++ permits a strategy that includes a step by step implementation of ASYCUDA functions. For instance, as a first step, the core modules, for declaration processing and accounting, cashier’s functions,  can  be  introduced  without  initially  adding  the  complications  of  selectivity  or  manifest check. The  Government  or  Customs  Administration  in  most  instances  will  have  particular  concerns  or priorities.  These  concerns  may  have  been  the  determining  factor  in  instigating  the  ASYCUDA++ implementation. The implementation strategy for the project will of course give adequate weight to these concerns and national priorities. Examples of concerns (shared by most administrations) are: ·     Undervaluation of goods; ·     Insufficient protection of revenue collected; ·     Corruption, internal fraud; ·     Misclassified (incorrectly rated) goods; ·     Complicated and inefficient procedures; ·     Understating cargo quantities; ·     Undeclared (not reported) cargo. The nature of ASYCUDA and most automated Customs systems is that the majority of these base concerns can be tackled from first implementation and very quickly produce positive results. Risks to the Project Any project of the size and duration of a National Computer System implementation involves many risks. It is strongly recommended that Project Management and Implementation teams incorporate into their planning a recognition of project risks, learned from the experience of previous projects.