According to PMBOK, there are a lot of activities involved in Risk Management, but are definitely some specific tools and techniques for identifying risk. Some of my favorites are:

• Brainstorming - I know you indicate it might not be the best, but I think there are some projects where this technique can be valuable.
• Interviewing - Talk to experiences team members, stakeholders, and SMEs
• Root cause analysis - My favorite technique here is to ask "why" 5 times to get to the true root cause, and then to develop preventive action.
• Checklists - based on historical knowledge and documentation.
• SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

It's important to remember that identifying risk is an iterative process, and the entire project team should be involved.

According to PMBOK, there are a lot of activities involved in Risk Management, but there are definitely some specific tools and techniques for identifying risk. Some of my favorites are:

• Brainstorming - I know you indicate it might not be the best, but I think there are some projects where this technique can be valuable.
• Interviewing - Talk to experienced team members, stakeholders, and SMEs
• Root cause analysis - My favorite technique here is to ask "why" 5 times to get to the true root cause, and then to develop preventive action.
• Checklists - based on historical knowledge and documentation. This is why historical project documentation is important, even though many people hate doing it. "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana)
• SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

It's important to remember that identifying risk is an iterative process, and the entire project team should be involved.