The extension of exact conditional inference to include so-called approximate conditional methods has rapidly developed in the last two decades. However, these methods are still under-used in practice, the main problem being the lack of suitable software. Several attempts have been made to implement the methods, using either computer algebra systems or statistical packages, but none is fully satisfactory. The trade-off between algebraic calculation and numerical efficiency still represents a big impediment. The aim of the paper is to discuss the problems one encounters in the implementation of higher order asymptotics and how some of these might be overcome.