"Lessons Must Be Learned"-But Are They?

Despite all the software systems we have seen, both in IEEE Software's columns and through our professional experience, periodically, something happens in the world of software engineering that really takes us by surprise. The last time we were in this position was after the revelation of software "cheats," that is, algorithms deliberately introduced into a system with the specific purpose of misleading the general public and certification agencies on the nature of system emissions.8 This time, we feel that we must comment on the equally startling revelations emerging about the interactions among software, management, and requirements in the sad case of the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes.