Drilling holes may seem like a simple task; however, in reality it's anything but simple.

If a mechanic drills a hole that's the wrong size, in the wrong spot, or at the slightest off-angle, drilling, reaming and countersinking can lead to myriad quality problems on a commercial jet.

Multiply each opportunity by 18 million the number of holes drilled at Commercial Airplanes each month and you can see a quality issue worthy of attention.

"Quality is free, if we do it right the first time," said Wayne McCarty, 777 director of Manufacturing.

With that philosophy in mind, the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Joint Leadership team is aggressively pursuing hole-quality improvement. Encompassing Operations, Quality Assurance and Engineering, the team's focus is on eight business elements that have the highest leverage in reducing hole defects, addressing all aspects of the hole-creation process, from engineering definition through inspection.

Once implemented, the resulting standard reliable work processes will improve quality, eliminate variation and reduce unit cost. The target is to provide processes and equipment that are robust, reliable and repeatable.