Information gathering includes various techniques like brainstorming, Delphi technique, interviews and root cause analysis. The ultimate aim of all these techniques is to identify and prepare a comprehensive list of risks in the project.

Brainstorming

It is one of the most widely used techniques to identify risks in a project. Project team usually performs brainstorming, often with subject matter experts, risk management experts and other important stakeholders who can contribute to the risk identification. It allows people to come up with risks. During brainstorming sessions there should be no criticism of ideas. The main focus is to open up possibilities of risk. Judgments and analysis at this stage inhibit idea generation. Ideas should only be evaluated at the end of the brainstorming session. Brainstorming sessions always have a facilitator to lead the team and help turn their ideas into a list of risks

Delphi technique

This technique is used to build consensus of experts who participate anonymously. A facilitator uses a questionnaire to solicit ideas about important project risks. The questionnaire is often designed with forced choices that require the experts to select between various options. The responses are summarized and re-circulated to the experts for further review until consensus on the final list of risks is reached. Delphi technique helps reduce bias in the data and keeps any one person from having undue influence on the outcome.

Interviewing

Interviewing is generally a face-to-face meeting that includes question and answer sessions. The interviews are conducted with project manager, project team, stakeholders, subject-matter experts, and individuals who may have participated in similar, past projects. Interviews help us to get first-hand information about others' experience and knowledge.

Root cause analysis

Root cause identification is a technique for identifying essential causes of risk. Reorganizing the identified risks by their root causes will help to identify more risks. This technique enables you to understand the risk more clearly so that responses can be planned to prevent recurrences.