Toward a standardized methodology for constructing quantum computing use cases
This work addresses the problem of inconsistent evaluation of quantum computing applications for researchers and end-users, though it is incremental as it builds on existing use case discussions.
The paper tackles the lack of a standardized approach for evaluating quantum computing use cases by proposing a methodology based on a set of questions, applying it to ambulance dispatch to identify both sensible and inadvisable deployment scenarios.
We propose a standardized methodology for developing and evaluating use cases for quantum computers and quantum inspired methods. This methodology consists of a standardized set of questions which should be asked to determine how and indeed if, near term quantum computing can play a role in a given application. Developing such a set of questions is important because it allows different use cases to be evaluated in a fair and objective way, rather than considering each case on an ad hoc basis which could lead to an evaluation which focuses on positives of a use case, while ignoring weaknesses. To demonstrate our methodology we apply it to a concrete use case, ambulance dispatch, and find that there are some ways in which near term quantum computing could be deployed sensibly, but also demonstrate some cases ways in which its use would not be advised. The purpose of this paper is to initiate a dialogue within the community of quantum computing scientists and potential end users on what questions should be asked when developing real world use cases.