Single Window Systems
In the OIC Member States
94
This enables long-term visibility of funds to cover expenses and investments. Scarcity of
resources can lead to focus on low-costs changes and solutions over deeper and more
complex but also more costly changes.
4. Engagement and adherence of stakeholders
Stakeholder engagement is crucial for the success and includes end-users. A Single Window
is a deep organisational transformation and requires changes of the daily practice of
technical staff and administrative instructions;
5. Business process simplification and reengineering
A Single Window should not replicate the web of complex and overlapping trade
regulations and formalities but operate in a streamlined and simplified environment.
6. Interoperability
Interoperability and interconnectivity on the data and business level that enables the Single
Window to exchange data with external system and offer extended end-to-end services.
International standards are necessary to achieve interoperability.
7. Common process design
Scaling and improvements are difficult without proper tools to continuously monitor
changes at the business and service level. Each of the Single Window stakeholders follows
its own regulatory and standard operational procedures and regulatory requirements and
it is challenging to map all of them and identify opportunities for process simplification and
reengineering. Not capturing this complexity at the early design stage can turn into wicked
problems that explode the timeframe, budget and resources, or are impossible to address.
Common process design or business architecture is therefore a necessary tool for Single
Window. It assists in the design of simplified business processes and re-use of IT services
and processes for business processes that have similar requirements. It is therefore an
efficient way to adapt faster and in a more cost effective manner to changing needs.
5.2 Challenges and Policy Options
Single Windows are long-term, costly and complex reform initiatives. Not all Single Window
projects deliver on their expectations: project costs explode; IT architecture can not adapt to
design changes and new technologies; a limited number of government agencies are
integrated; procedures have not been simplified and re-engineered. Those are only few
examples of the challenges Single Window initiatives encounter. OIC Member States have to
overcome obstacles on the organisational and technical level – se
Table 21: OIC Member States’ Single Window Challenges
Dimension Challenges
Driving the initiative/ project
Challenges to accelerate
There are two critical moments in the SW process.
 In the initial stage: Support has to be mobilized,