Abstract We study the adjustment and use of the Max-sum algorithm for solving Asymmetric Distributed Constraint Optimization Problems (ADCOPs). First, we formalize asymmetric factor-graphs and apply the different versions of Max-sum to them. Apparently, in contrast to local search algorithms, most Max-sum versions perform similarly when solving symmetric and asymmetric problems and some even perform better on asymmetric problems. Second, we prove that the convergence properties of Max-sum ADVP (an algorithm that was previously found to outperform other Max-sum versions) and the quality of the solutions it produces are dependent on the order between nodes involved in each constraint, i.e., the inner constraint order (ICO). A standard ICO allows to reproduce the properties achieved for symmetric problems, and outperform previously proposed local search ADCOP algorithms. Third, we demonstrate that a non-standard ICO can be used to balance exploration and exploitation, resulting in the best performing Maxsum version on both symmetric and asymmetric standard benchmarks.