AQ Reg Blueprint is a packaged service for regulators and supervisory bodies to launch (or level‑up) a post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) readiness examination capability across supervised entities.
It turns an emerging risk into a practical supervisory program: clear expectations, repeatable evidence asks, consistent scoring, and exam outputs that don’t start from a blank page.
Delivered with an optional accelerator: AQ Reg Blueprint Kit - a lightweight toolkit that helps exam teams collect structured returns, check completeness, apply the rubric consistently, and draft examiner packs faster.
Who It's For
AQ Reg Blueprint is built for regulators that run examinations, supervisory reviews, or audits – especially where technology risk is already a formal part of oversight:
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Central banks & financial supervisors (technology risk, cyber resilience, operational resilience, outsourcing/third‑party)
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Cybersecurity / ICT regulators with examination mandates
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Critical infrastructure regulators (energy, telecom, transport, healthcare, water)
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Government assurance bodies assessing ministries, agencies, or state‑owned enterprises
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Supervisory methodology teams who need a framework examiners can actually run
PQC Readiness Fails as an Operations Problem, Not a Crypto Problem
Most organisations won’t struggle because they “don’t understand algorithms.” They struggle because they can’t answer supervisory questions with evidence:
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Where is public‑key cryptography used across critical services?
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What is quantum‑vulnerable, and what’s the business impact if it fails?
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What is the migration plan – and does it have credible milestones?
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How will they maintain an ongoing cryptographic inventory as systems change?
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How will exam teams verify progress consistently across exam cycles?
AQ Reg Blueprint is designed to make those answers comparable, auditable, and repeatable.
Why Now
Key shifts have changed the supervisory landscape:
PQC is now “implementable,” not theoretical – NIST has approved three Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for post‑quantum cryptography – FIPS 203, FIPS 204, and FIPS 205 – providing a concrete anchor for migration planning.
The “harvest‑now, decrypt‑later” risk forces early action.
Supervisory-style reporting expectations are already emerging – a number of regulations have already been published – illustrating a clear pattern: inventory first, then prioritised migration and progress assessment.
Relevant at every regulator maturity level
Regulators are not all starting from the same point. AQ Reg Blueprint is deliberately designed to work whether you are just starting, tightening quality, or industrialising exams.
Level 1 - Establish the minimum viable supervisory ask
If you’re in the “we need to start somewhere” stage, AQ Reg Blueprint helps you define:
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what supervised entities must submit (CBOM / crypto inventory expectations + migration plan expectations)
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minimum evidence standards (so submissions are usable, not noise)
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a basic rating approach that is fair across different entity sizes
Outcome: you can start supervising without waiting for perfect data or a perfect system.
Level 2 - Assess CBOM coverage and quality
If you’re beyond “submit a CBOM” and asking “is it complete and credible?”, AQ Reg Blueprint adds:
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coverage and confidence expectations (what “good coverage” looks like by category)
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quality signals (evidence traceability, sampling logic, validation expectations)
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follow‑up triggers (when an examiner should challenge, request more evidence, or escalate)
Outcome: you move from “paper readiness” to defensible assurance.
Level 3 - Make exams faster and more consistent
If your pain is exam efficiency and consistency at scale, AQ Reg Blueprint delivers:
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standardized examiner workflows and report templates
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a calibrated scoring rubric (so two teams reach similar conclusions)
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the optional AQ Reg Blueprint Kit to accelerate structured intake, QC, scoring, and exam pack drafting
Outcome: you reduce examiner effort per case while improving consistency.
What you receive
AQ Reg Blueprint delivers a full “ready-to-run” supervisory package. The exact configuration adapts to your maturity level and mandate.
1) Supervisory framework for PQC readiness
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Scope definition: what is in/out, and why
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Maturity model: what “good” looks like for your sector
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Ratings guidance: how to apply judgment consistently
2) Standardized supervisory return
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A structured submission format (minimum vs enhanced track)
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Data definitions and required evidence pointers
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Practical instructions that reduce rework for exam teams and industry
3) Evidence request library
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Clear evidence expectations (minimum vs enhanced)
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“What good looks like” examples (without turning into vendor guidance)
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Red flags + follow‑up triggers
4) Scoring rubric and normalization logic
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A consistent rubric that ties ratings to evidence quality
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Normalization guidance to keep outcomes comparable across different entity sizes and complexity
5) Examiner pack templates
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Examiner report templates and standard language
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Follow‑up request templates (including remediation commitments and time‑bound expectations)
6) Examiner training + calibration
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Training for exam teams (how to interpret submissions and challenge effectively)
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Calibration workshop (harmonize scoring across teams)
7) Optional: Pilot cycle
Run a short pilot with a small cohort to validate:
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clarity of questions and feasibility of evidence asks
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scoring consistency
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real exam time per case, and where friction occurs
Included accelerator: AQ Reg Blueprint Kit
Blueprint is a service. But supervision is an operational discipline – and that’s why we offer AQ Reg Blueprint Kit as a delivery accelerator.
AQ Reg Blueprint Kit helps you move from “framework on paper” to “repeatable workflow in the hands of exam teams” by enabling:
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structured supervisory returns
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submission completeness and quality checks
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consistent application of the rubric
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draft examiner pack generation (report skeletons + follow‑ups)
If your immediate goal is policy definition and minimum viable asks, you can start with the Blueprint outputs alone. If your goal is examiner throughput and consistent reporting across teams, the Kit becomes a practical force multiplier.
How it works
AQ Reg Blueprint is structured to produce usable outcomes quickly (not an open‑ended advisory exercise).
Phase 1 - Mandate & scope alignment
Align supervisory objectives, sector boundaries, exam outcomes, and terminology (cybersecurity vs operational resilience vs digital trust).
Phase 2 - Build the supervisory return + evidence standard
Define what entities submit, how they submit it, and how exam teams judge completeness and credibility.
Phase 3 - Build the rubric + examiner workflow
Create the scoring model, report templates, follow‑ups, and standardized findings language.
Phase 4 - Train, calibrate, and pilot
Train exam teams; calibrate scoring; pilot with a small cohort if desired.
Phase 5 - Launch + refresh cadence
Define the refresh cycle, governance, and how you evolve expectations as standards and industry maturity change.
Benefits
For exam teams
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Less time inventing questionnaires and evidence asks
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Faster report production (standard templates + consistent language)
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More consistent judgments across teams and cycles
For the regulator
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Comparable outcomes across supervised entities
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A defensible “why” behind ratings (rubric + evidence mapping)
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Reduced exam friction and reduced industry back‑and‑forth
For supervised entities
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Clear expectations that don’t change examiner-to-examiner
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More predictable evidence requests
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A practical path from “inventory” to “migration progress”
We’ll walk through a sample supervisory return, a sample rubric, and an example examiner pack - so you can see what “exam-ready” looks like.
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