Efficient collaboration between design and simulation departments is a key factor to efficient product development. There are numerous efforts to systematically “integrate” product development activities using CAD- and CAE-systems.

This paper presents a team-based approach to render collaboration, i.e. communication and coordination, between the engineers involved in designing and simulating the product more efficient. It is part of an overall integration strategy to support collaboration between the departments in question in terms of the product architecture and the engineers involved as well as information objects, tools, and the process.

The team structures proposed combine the different ways of organization prevailing in design and simulation. Based on a product architecture regarding both functional and geometry-oriented perspectives onto the product, virtual teams attributed to parts of this component-function-structure serve as a basis to enhance communication. This is intended to offer a means of orientation to coordinate common efforts between engineers involved. The paper lines out a method to compose teams that merge the necessary competences and responsibilities involved to foster communication across different engineers involved in a set of functions and components.