Aviation regulations require a high degree of confidence that systems controlling or assisting the pilot to control aircraft do not compromise safety. Many of these controls are provided through Software or Airborne Electronic Hardware. The current prescriptive approach to the certification of these systems have been used successfully for many years, but with the increase in the size and complexity the verification costs are becoming disproportionate with the development costs.

A recurrent theme in software engineering is that it isn't soft and there is no engineering in it. This may be a little cruel, but it makes a perfect T-shirt. In truth, one of the principle defining characteristics of successful 'engineering' is that by analysing why it screws up, it learns from its mistakes.