The Quantum software lifecycle

Quantum computing is an emerging paradigm that enables to solve a variety of problems more efficiently than it is possible on classical computers. As the first quantum computers are available, quantum algorithms can be implemented and executed on real quantum hardware. However, the capabilities of today’s quantum computers are very limited and quantum computations are always disturbed by some error. Thus, further research is needed to develop or improve quantum algorithms, quantum computers, or required software tooling support. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of quantum computing, a common understanding of how to develop and execute a quantum software application is needed. However, there is currently no methodology or lifecycle comprising all relevant phases that can occur during the development and execution process. Hence, in this paper, we introduce the quantum software lifecycle consisting of ten phases a gate-based quantum software application should go through. We analyze the purpose of each phase, the available methods and tools that can be applied, and the open problems or research questions. Therefore, the lifecycle can be used as a baseline for discussions and future research.