# Build a migration plan your team can review

A practical plan connects findings to owners, dependencies, pilot work, testing and a controlled rollout.

Authoring organization: QCAI editorial
Published: 2026-10-31T01:33:47.422Z
Updated: 2026-10-31T01:33:47.422Z
Canonical page: https://www.quantumcomputing.ai/blog/build-a-post-quantum-migration-plan

## What should a migration plan contain?

A useful post-quantum migration plan connects an agreed scope to accountable owners, dependencies and acceptance criteria. It is a working decision document that changes as evidence improves.

## 1. Confirm the scope

Map findings to deployed systems. Ask owners to confirm the cryptographic operation, data sensitivity and external dependencies. Record coverage gaps.

## 2. Agree the approach

Review supported algorithms, protocols and library versions with the relevant platform and vendor teams. Algorithm selection is only one part of a system change. Avoid promising a drop-in replacement before compatibility is tested.

## 3. Build a representative pilot

Choose a narrow but realistic flow. List the signers, verifiers, key-management components and clients involved. Define who can approve moving beyond the pilot.

## 4. Test and rehearse recovery

Define interoperability, performance, key lifecycle and failure-recovery checks. Record results and unresolved issues. A plan should make its pass criteria explicit.

## 5. Roll out and verify

Use staged deployment, monitoring and a reviewed recovery approach. Retain evidence of what changed and how it was checked.

## A draft is not an approval

Generated plans can organize work, but they cannot confirm architecture or business context. Qualified reviewers and system owners must approve implementation choices. Start with a sample plan, then replace its assumptions with your own evidence.

## Primary references

- [NIST NCCoE Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography](https://www.nccoe.nist.gov/projects/building-blocks/post-quantum-cryptography)

Educational guidance. Confirm system-specific choices with qualified security and engineering reviewers.