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Risk identification is the first step of risk management for construction projects. Project experts use many different methods to identify risk factors, such as decision trees, standard checklists, questionnaires and the Hazard and Operability procedure, but brainstorming sessions are among the most successful methods for identifying risks offering advantages not encountered in any of the others identification methods. Although the brainstorming technique is widespread in the construction industry, it typically is not used to its full capacity. This may be due to brainstorming literature ambiguity, variations in reporting technique usage in the literature, and lack of a methodology outlining the use of the brainstorming technique specifically for risk identification purposes. In this thesis, the merits, procedures, and appropriate applications of the brainstorming technique are outlined. Implications of the session, the session leader, the participants, and the output are explored, and best practices for risk identification brainstorming sessions are identified. / Construction Engineering and Management