Quantum Computing and EA: Schrödinger's Plan

Greetings, architects!
This week, we open the box labeled “Strategic Roadmap” only to discover… well, it’s both brilliantly future-proof and hopelessly unrealistic at the same time. Welcome to the world of Quantum Computing in Enterprise Architecture — where every plan is simultaneously ready and not ready.

The Main Story: Schrödinger’s Transformation

Imagine this:
The CIO bursts into your office, eyes sparkling like a physicist who just found a particle in the wrong accelerator. “We need to get ready for quantum computing! Gartner says it’s going to change everything!”

You nod, scribble “Quantum Readiness” on the whiteboard, and suddenly:

• The business unit lead asks, “Can we have it by next quarter?”

• The security officer panics about quantum-safe encryption.

• The CFO wonders if the budget should be in dollars… or qubits.

Meanwhile, you quietly Google: “What is a qubit in business terms?”

The result? A roadmap that’s less “transformational” and more like Schrödinger’s cat — both alive with possibility and dead on arrival.

TOGAF to the Rescue (Sort Of)

TOGAF reminds us: Start with the Architecture Vision, not the hype.

Instead of quantum leaping into chaos, TOGAF’s Phases A and B let you ask:

• What business capabilities would even benefit from quantum speedups?

• Which processes are actually bottlenecked by classical computing (versus bottlenecked by, say, Bob in Finance forgetting his password)?

• What risks need mitigation before we even think of quantum adoption?

With a bit of ADM discipline, you can reframe “quantum readiness” from a panic project into a calm “technology watch” activity — while keeping Schrödinger’s cat safely in the box until it’s actually relevant.

Educational Twist: Quantum-Safe Tips

• Don’t Rewrite Everything Now: Most organizations aren’t ready for post-quantum cryptography just yet. Start with an inventory of critical cryptographic assets.

• Use Capability Mapping: Identify where quantum might realistically impact (e.g., optimization-heavy logistics, large-scale simulations).

• Stay Iterative: TOGAF’s Architecture Change Management phase is your friend. Treat quantum like cloud was in 2008 — hype now, reality later.

Humor in Diagrams

Share and Connect

Has your org already drafted a quantum plan? Is it alive, dead, or both? Share your paradoxical roadmaps with us!

Next Week’s Tease

Episode 36: The Great Merger Meltdown — when two enterprise architectures collide, and only one set of acronyms survives.