Applying a Case Study Method in Systems Engineering Research Ashlin Ramdas Armscor Private Bag x337 Pretoria +27 82 482 6289 Ashlinr@armscor.co.za Duarte P Goncalves CSIR Meiring Naude Road, Pretoria +27 72 445 2900 dgoncalv@csir.co.za Bernadette Sunjka University of the Witwatersrand 1 Jan Smuts Ave, Johannesburg, 2001 +27 82 570 6436 Bernadette.sunjka@wits.ac.za Copyright © 2020 by A Ramdas, B Sunjka, D.P Goncalves. Permission granted to INCOSE to publish and use. Abstract. Systems engineering activities focuses mainly on objective perspectives which can be measured and verified but largely ignores subjective aspects. As systems become more complex, the interactions between humans and systems are also important. There are social influences in a mul- tidisciplinary engineering team and the implication is that a system engineer must be responsible for understanding these social influences on the development and operation of a system. This requires a qualitative method of enquiry. In this paper qualitative methods are briefly introduced and the de- tailed application of the case study method and its limitations are discussed. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Project was used as the case study and the research design and data collection consid- erations for the study are presented. One of the study’s research question (How is the development process structured in the project and why?) is used to illustrate the data analysis and discussion. Introduction According to Davaney (2019, p.3) from an Integral Theory perspetive, Systems engineering activi- ties focuses mainly on objective perspectives which can be measured and verified, but largely ignores subjective aspects. Engineers are exposed to what is typically known as the hard sciences and the associated primarily quantitative research methods. However, as systems become more complex, the interactions between humans and systems are also important (Davaney, 2019, p.1). To further rein- force this idea, Donaldson (2017, p.2) states that for systems engineers to be successful in an in- creasingly interconnected complex world, social factors must also be considered. Donaldson (2017, p.2) in citing Degreen and Aluisi (1970) emphasizes the importance of qualitative factors, which can also influence planning and design. Watson (2019, p.25), states that the organization undertaking a complex development is just as complex where social influences are important due to the multidisciplinary engineering team in such environments. These social influences can arise as a multidisciplinary team has diversity in terms of people from various backgrounds with varying levels of experience. The implication is that a system engineer must be responsible for understanding these social influences on the development and op- eration of a system. Donaldson (2017, p.11) further states that the exploration of how systems en-