It is universally recognised that a well-funded and carefully targeted development programme is essential to maintain the scientific competitiveness of any observatory. The purpose of the SKA Observatory Development Programme (SODP) is to enhance the scientific productivity of the Observatory by: adapting to changes in the scientific landscape and priorities, enabling new science, restoring descoped functionality, improving output and reliability and reducing operational cost.

The SODP is divided into Projects, which deliver major improvements, and Studies, which are intended to evaluate new ideas and bring them to an adequate Technology and Manufacturing Readiness Level (TRL/MRL) to become potential projects. The process requires prioritisation of research and development in the context of science and technology roadmaps. The present discussion is restricted to SKA1 and concentrates on the initiation of the SODP and its evolution as the Observatory transitions from the Construction phase into the operational phase. The talk will present the current plan for the SKA observatory development program as part of the SKA Operation. It will present the organization of the SKA1 roadmaps (science Roadmap and Technological Roadmap) how they are organized and how they will work together to realize the SODP objectives. It will also show the current schedule and the funding mechanism for the programme.