Effective teamwork is a critical skill for engineering graduates to demonstrate both during their studies and in their future careers. The requisite personal attributes, skills and behaviours may be cultivated through structured teamwork activities applied to authentic scenarios. However, team-based assessments may be perceived as failing to reflect individual contributions, leading to concerns about fairness and disengagement. This paper presents an approach to authentic team-based assessment designed to develop professional skills while ensuring individual accountability within a team context. Foundation Year students collaborated over four weeks to design a product addressing an accessibility need and create a business plan for a start-up company producing and selling the product. The inclusion of an individual component based upon assigned roles together with peer assessments and progress tracking motivated engagement of all team members. Survey feedback indicated students valued the opportunity to demonstrate personal contributions, and improved pass rates suggested increased engagement.
