Interest in DO-254 first occurred in Europe and has since spread to the US commercial aircraft industry. If you are being asked about your company's DO-254 direction and compliance, but have been overwhelmed with information on the subject, then this article is for you. This article presents DO-254 for the novice, boiling down the standard, reducing it to its essential points so that you will be ready to respond with confidence, as well as understand its potential impact on your products or services.