est. 2007

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ASYCUDA Foul up

Chairman of the Barbados Port Authority Lisa Cummins and Minister responsible Kirk Humphrey have had a lot to say about the haphazardly implemented upgrade to the ASYCUDA World system – the acronym translates to Automated Systems for Customs Data a computerized system designed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to administer…

Screenshot 2019-12-15 at 16.56.19Chairman of the Barbados Port Authority Lisa Cummins and Minister responsible Kirk Humphrey have had a lot to say about the haphazardly implemented upgrade to the ASYCUDA World system – the acronym translates to Automated Systems for Customs Data a computerized system designed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to administer a country’s customs.  Although they have assuaged  public concerns something still stinks in Denmark.

A consequence of the poor implementation by government- if we accept public comment- is that the release of inbound shipments have been delayed for weeks, some say months since ASYCUDA went live in September 2018. The blogmaster has not posted on this issue before because of  the lack of information about what is a technical issue.

We have had cursory commentary on BU about why would the government not run the old system in parallel. So far we have not been made aware of anyone or agency being held accountability for the foul up. What cannot be disputed is that the haphazard implementation of ASYCUDA has had a negative financial impact for the country.

It was brought to the attention of the blogmaster by a BU family member that by clicking on the ASYCUDA link- https://asycuda.customs.gov.bb/index.jsf and dare click on “Upload e-manifest” under the “ONLINE SERVICES” menu on the top-left side of the window. You’ll be greeted with a “404 — The requested page was not found.” message. To the blogmaster’s simple way of thinking, if the link is suppose to work it should not generate an error. The obvious question pops up – was change management done by our high paid officials?

ASYCUDA-Error_404.png

Hoping the BU intelligentsia weighs in on the matter.

 

 

120 responses to “ASYCUDA Foul up”

  1. John A Avatar
    John A

    @David.

    Every aspect of this experience speaks to incompetence starting with when they chose to implement the system.

    Why couldn’t this system of been implemented in frbruary 2020 say? No the implemented it weeks before the peak business period and as a result both the state and businesses must now lose millions as a result. You mean even the reality that container loads start to increase from October didn’t dawn on not one of the geniuses involved in the decision making process?

    As the old people used to say “what start wrong end wrong.”

  2. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Do you know who had the final say on the go no go live date?

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    What would be interesting is to read the project meeting notes around the implementation of the launch date of September 1 to ascertain if it was moved and by whom.

  4. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    If as reported implementation of ASYCUDA has proved difficult in other countries wouldn’t it have been prudent for those responsible for the application to check with those other places to see what challenges they encountered and what they did to overcome them? Don’t we want to learn from others mistakes or do we rush headlong and make our own?

    Looka, I once worked for a company and on one occasion it made a software update that bombed and affected clients nation -wide. Within 24 hours a decision was made to back out of that update and restore the previous one until they sorted out all the kinks. In Barbados they ploughed on and now its too late but it exposes another area that we are deficient in- CRISIS MANAGEMENT.

    @Enuff Don’t tell me that you are upset about being called a “Government whisperer” that was said with all admiration and respect.

    Merry Xmas

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    The man who Comptroller participated in some of those implements, check what other countries what!?!@&$

  6. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David

    And part of the criteria that the Gov’t used to appoint him was based on his leading a team in the successful implementation of ASYCUDA in……..

    Is that what you are trying to tell me?

    Forgive me but I’m skeptical, this was a collaborative effort

  7. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    You are a smart guy this we know.

  8. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Since I started using computers for work 34 years ago the words CRASH, BACK UP, TEST, ALTERNATIVE have been critical to me keeping my job and during a period of self employment, making sure that I did not have to make excuses to Clients and sub-contractors.

    The people implementing ASYCUDA acted as if they were installing Microsoft office or Photoshop.

  9. GP Avatar
    GP

    Some of us know what we are talking about. BUT MOST DONT BUT JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION, YOU NEVER KNOW HOW EXPRESSING YOUR VIEW MAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    Summed up very well.

  11. John A Avatar
    John A

    @David

    I would think the final decision for implementation would of lied with the minister. To be fair to the minister though he would of been guided by the head of the implementation department. Either way both should of know better than to implement such changes so close to the peak load period.

    You see government don’t have to worry because any income short falls will be passed onto us by increased taxation. The problem for the businesses is revenue lost in the peak period can not be recovered.

  12. Wily Coyote Avatar
    Wily Coyote

    @David

    “They took a short cut and got burned.”

    INCOMPETENT TOOLS, do not using the word “TOOLS” as generally they are useful items, however when applied to politicians the word TOOLS reflects MENTAL REALITY.

  13. William Skinner Avatar
    William Skinner

    What we are learning everyday but failing to accept , is the simple fact that a slow start is better than a poor start.
    We have a multiplicity of poor starts to solving problems. We seem rudderless; six decades ago, little boys playing understood how to build toy trucks , rollers and gutter perks, with more precision and better planning than what we are observing and have observed from the Duopoly.
    Hal calls it the Barbadian condition; I call it pure crap.

  14. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    Being able to evaluate yourself IS A SKILL.

    To look at your strengths and weaknesses and say “I am not suited for ‘x’ because….” IS NOT WHAT PEOPLE IN GENERAL, NOR BAJANS, IN PARTICULAR, can do competently!

    So I get a job because of longevity BUT I’M AN INCOMPETENT WORKER!

    It comes with higher pay, more responsibilities AND A GREATER SCOPE OF WORKS and while the latter two are way outside my capacity, I FUDGE THROUGH.

    But you, the general public DO NOT SEE THIS because it has been inbuilt into the Public Service for years THE BROTHERHOOD OF INCOMPETENCE

    A COSTRA NOSTRA OF IDIOTS

    The only was it can be changed is to dismantle the system and rebuild it based on deliverables.

    Your pay, in certain jobs MUST BE based on your ability to meet certain targets.

    And an ASYCUDA WORLD F UP IS GROUNDS FOR IMMEDIATE FIRING!

  15. TheOgazerts Avatar
    TheOgazerts

    I love how we take a razor and try to fine the separation between corruption, mismanagement and incompetence.
    Like I always said a nation of wordsmiths/
    Run for your Thesauri,,,

    As ISCREWYAH shows, definitely not doers

  16. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Corruption(corruption, nepotism, yard fowl selection, etc.) give us the square pegs in round holes.
    The square pegs in round holes gives us mismanagement and incompetence (use your Thesaurus here)
    The combination of mismanagement/incompetence/corruption gives us more square pegs in round holes
    A vicious and nasty cycle.

  17. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    I don’t know why, but thisd story reminded me of the saying ” A one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind”.

    I think this is a discussion of which leadership is worse.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2019/12/19/talking-trash-dlp-enough-of-optics-chat-on-garbage-pileups/

  18. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Add this to the list of foul-ups…

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2019/12/19/navys-seal/

    I wonder how our two parties determine who to get in bed with. Do they do a smell test and select the most repugnant smell?

    https://afropunk.com/2018/07/argentinas-black-population-has-been-systematically-erased-removed-in-whitewashing-effort/

    “What actually happened to Black Argentineans is so disturbing and inhumane, it would be shocking that it wasn’t being taught in classrooms if the world wasn’t so inherently racist. It is widely reported that president of Argentina from 1868 to 1874, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, undertook a ‘covert genocide’ that wiped out the Afro-Argentinean population to the point that by 1875, there were so little Black people left in Argentina that the government didn’t even bother registering African-descendants in the national census.”

    In the day of Google and with a claimed 99.7 literacy rate, I d beginning to think that comprehension is a problem> But then again you are so comfortable being second class citizens in your own country a little erasing might wake you up…..

  19. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    I could preface this with a comment, but I will wait until a certain fellow jump out with his rapid response and post that comment this evening. (RRT).

    This is an interesting story… It makes me wonder if any party will derive extra benefits from these changes,

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2019/12/19/fsc-improving-digital-interface-with-businesses/

  20. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Is the AYSCUDA story over?
    All is well in the harbor?
    I can go there and get my stuff?
    My gifts for Lorenzo and Enuff?

    Seriously, all issues at the port are now resolved?

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