When Jerid Jackson, Senior Manager of Reliability & Asset Management at PepsiCo Frito-Lay North America, set out to improve problem-solving across the company’s snack and food manufacturing network, he encountered a common issue in large organizations: root cause analysis (RCA) practices varied drastically from site to site. Some teams were doing solid work, others were doing the bare minimum—or nothing at all. There was no unified system, limited oversight, and little follow-through on corrective actions.

With a growing number of sites and a massive footprint of identical equipment, Jerid knew PepsiCo needed more than just a tool—they needed a scalable, standardized process for RCA that teams could actually use and adopt. That’s when they turned to EasyRCA.

“Everyone was doing an analysis to different levels—from pretty thorough to nothing at all—and there was no oversight… and not a lot of follow-through.”— Jerid Jackson, Senior Manager of Reliability & Asset Management

The Challenge

Jerid and his team support nearly 40 manufacturing sites across PepsiCo’s food brands, including Frito-Lay, Quaker, and Sabra. Despite relatively strong uptime performance overall, the process for conducting RCAs was inconsistent and shallow. Analysts weren’t always identifying systemic causes, and there was often no way to ensure corrective actions were actually implemented.

At the time, there was no central tool or methodology. Each site operated independently, and learnings from one failure weren’t being shared with other plants—even when they used the exact same equipment.

Key challenges included:

• Fragmented and inconsistent RCA processes
• No centralized visibility across sites
• Lack of follow-up and accountability on action items
• Difficulty replicating solutions for shared equipment (sometimes 1,500+ identical assets)

“If we don’t get the solutions implemented, we wasted time with the analysis.”— Jerid Jackson

The Solution: EasyRCA

PepsiCo began by piloting EasyRCA with just 25 users, carefully selecting plants to test the system. As adoption grew and word spread internally, the team scaled to 75, then 100, and now supports an estimated 650+ users across the organization.

Rather than forcing adoption from the top down, Jerid approached the rollout strategically. He offered EasyRCA as a tool to make teams’ work easier and more effective—not as a mandate. This “show and support” model helped plants feel ownership and curiosity rather than resistance.

What made EasyRCA the right fit?

• Ease of use for new users, yet powerful enough for expert analysis
• Scalable licensing and access across dozens of sites
• Built-in action tracking and collaboration tools
• Support for both training and hands-on use
• Templates and sharing to replicate solutions across identical equipment
• Responsive support and partnership mindset — the EasyRCA team worked closely with PepsiCo throughout rollout, training, and feature development
• Incorporated user feedback into product evolution, including new AI features, PowerBI dashboards, and reporting tools based on Jerid’s requests

“We didn’t worry too much about the quantity or quality (to begin with)—we just tried to get people using it and understanding it.”— Jerid Jackson

AI as a Catalyst for Deeper, Faster RCA

Initially skeptical of artificial intelligence, Jerid quickly became a believer. He credits EasyRCA’s AI features with accelerating adoption and increasing quality—especially among new users who might otherwise be intimidated or unsure how to start.

AI features that made an impact included:

• Executive summary generation, helping users communicate clearly and save time
• Suggested logic tree nodes and corrective actions, which encouraged deeper thinking
• Support for drilling into systemic root causes, not just surface-level symptoms

Jerid noted that AI doesn’t replace human judgment—it enhances it. Teams are free to edit, delete, or expand on AI suggestions. For many, AI has become the spark that gets the process started and gives them the confidence to keep going.

“It helped us know what level to get to… I think I saw a little surge after some of those [AI] features were added.”— Jerid Jackson

Results

The impact of EasyRCA at PepsiCo Frito-Lay North America has been significant—both in scope and depth.

• More than 650 users onboarded across ~40 sites
• Standardized methodology for RCA across business units
• Templates created for common equipment across identical assets
• Improved collaboration, with corporate visibility into RCA quality and action status
• Educational benefit as newer managers learn root cause thinking during the process itself

Jerid shared examples of early success, including a well-documented RCA of air compressor failure at the Fayetteville, AR plant and a component failure template developed at Aberdeen, MD that’s now used across the network. These cases demonstrate how EasyRCA is helping PepsiCo move from reactive fixes to proactive problem elimination.

“I don’t think there’s a tool out there that gives you the flexibility from simple to complex and has the power to track the verification and corrective action tasks.”— Jerid Jackson

Training: RCA + Software = Real Adoption

To truly shift the culture, PepsiCo combined EasyRCA with formal training in the PROACT® RCA methodology. Most users had little to no formal RCA background, so the training became useful in teaching teams how to think—not just how to click buttons.

• Multi-day PROACT sessions deepened analysis quality
• In-app prompts reinforced proper root cause structure
• Monthly user groups fostered a culture of collaboration and continuous learning

“Almost everyone was using some form of a 5-Why before… PROACT helped us go deeper, rule things out, and verify solutions.”— Jerid Jackson

Conclusion

PepsiCo Frito-Lay North America’s implementation of EasyRCA is a standout example of what happens when the right technology, the right methodology, and the right leadership align. From a handful of early adopters to a robust network of 650+ users, the company has turned RCA from a fragmented afterthought into a scalable, system-wide driver of reliability and improvement.

“If you’re going to do root cause analysis, this tool will help you do it more efficiently and better quality.”— Jerid Jackson

EasyRCA is helping organizations like PepsiCo Frito-Lay North America build a culture of effective problem solving and continuous improvement. Learn more about EasyRCA or book a demo to see how it can work for your team.