Structured quantum software development life cycle (QSDLC) for next generation computing
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Abstract
Quantum computing promises exponential advantages over classical paradigms; however, it still lacks standardized software engineering methodologies. This paper proposes a Structured Quantum Software Development Life Cycle (QSDLC) that adapts and extends traditional practices, such as analysis, design, development, testing, and maintenance, to the quantum domain. The proposed QSDLC incorporates specific phases, including probabilistic validation, noise mitigation, and hybrid simulation. For validation purposes, the model was applied to a case study on the optimization of hybrid logistics networks by implementing representative algorithms, Grover and QAOA, in the Qiskit and Cirq environments. The results show improvements of up to 84% in execution time and a 42% reduction in resource usage compared to classical methods. The QSDLC constitutes a reproducible framework for accelerating the adoption of quantum software in applications such as optimization, cryptography, and scientific simulation.
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