Method and system are provided for providing constraint-based guidance to a designer to support the application of useful constraint-based heuristics in complex collaborative design, thus reducing late conflicts and facilitating their resolution when they happen. The invention can be applied to any collaborative problem-solving task such as a collaborative engineering activity or the design of corporate strategies. In the method and system, designers receive constraint-based feedback that enables them to apply constraint-based heuristics that consider the simultaneous effect of all design constraints.