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Unrealistic Targets. Targets should be ambitious but realistic, it is important to set ambitious targets because it will
motivate your team to reach high level of success. Additionally, Targets tell your donor how much work you are planning on doing. If you set you target too low, your donor may be reluctant to give you the money you need.

However target should also be realistic, when you set a target you are committing your team to reaching that target, If you miss a target because you were unrealistic everyone involved will end up disappointed. yourself your team and your donor.

perhaps you set impossible deadline you may ask for unachievable result or do you expect your team to reach that target with inadequate budget. On the other hand, setting unrealistic target can have a negative impact on the team and project.

Here are some of the effects that may occur in the short term

1 miss the target date

2 will not reach high level of success

3 Donor may be reluctant to give money for subsequent project

Des objectifs irréalistes permettent à un projet de ne pas comprends s'il y a des évolutions

I think the main reason targets are set unrealistically is the absence of data, in countries where accessibility to data and information is limited, it becomes challenging to set targets. The minimum degree of data would be needed such as the population's structure and size, and that in itself is sometimes not available, making the measurement of your project's impact and success on a wide level almost impossible. Organizations would then resort to including some activities that can be conducted directly in order to measure the project activities at a given time and place, and within a given group of people.

According to my understanding, unrealistic targets may brings the project to the failure because they are based on biases ,while things we believable may probably be different from the reality. Having the true inforformation is the major practice when preparing targets.

Targets need to be realistic and should be according to budget and schedule of the project. Unrealistic targets may sound ambitious but give a lot of headache if they are not achieved. So to refrain from unrealistic targets baseline survey, listening to expert opinions and going through other research findings can really help to draft affordable and measurable targets.

Targets need to be realistic and should be according to budget and schedule of the project. Unrealistic targets may sound ambitious but give a lot of headache if they are not achieved. So to refrain from unrealistic targets baseline survey, listening to expert opinions and going through other research findings can really help to draft affordable and measurable targets.

evelop an action plan. Managers respond well to action plans, even if those plans fall through. Navigating the world of unrealistic expectations is often an exercise in stating solutions. If you feel overwhelmed, take the time to jot down an action plan that shows your timeline to success

According to my understanding, unrealistic targets may brings the project to the failure because they are based on biases ,while things we believable may probably be different from the reality. Having the true inforformation is the major practice when preparing targets.

The consequences of unrealistic goals are significant. Not reaching goals results in negative emotions: disappointment, frustration, and feeling like a failure. It also makes you more likely to quit, be even less healthy, and claim that your genetics make success impossible

The consequences of unrealistic goals are significant. Not reaching goals results in negative emotions: disappointment, frustration, and feeling like a failure. It also makes you more likely to quit, be even less healthy, and claim that your genetics make success impossible.

When you set 'unrealistic' goals, you will realize that you won't achieve them if you don't come up with creative strategies. These goals will demand you to come up with well-thought strategies, hence, requiring you to think unconventionally, and think beyond your beliefs. They will need you to think outside the box.

Unrealistic targets are as a result of poor research or planning, poor team effort and misjudgement of the programme. There is need to have background information to extrapolate what target to use. Unrealistic targets lead to frustration and defeat the purpose of the project. Unrealistic targets are targets that do not follow any criteria eg.
Expert opinion when setting them
Stakeholder expectations
The Project budget
Research findings on previous projects
Unrealistic targets can put pressure unnecessary pressure on employees.
Giving yourself a break and asking for advice can help you set realistic and ambitious goals

Unrealistic targets mean those targets which are not possible to attain no matter how much money,time, expertise or resources to put into the project for example if your project aims at reducing school dropout rate,and you set a target of reducing the school dropout rate by 100% in the next 2 years,it is not possible.you may reach 95% but reaching 100% is impossible.

Create the target is the first thing in my project, then, according to its development, I can adjust it, if needed. They cannot be too low, or the donors will hesitate to fund the project, and they cannot be to high, or it will generate frustration. Targets need to be realistic. These are important lessons.

Unrealistic targets may lead to project/programme staff falsifying data.

People make targets by relying on their perceptions or some unrealistic assumptions they have. Such targets create waste of money, waste of time, low quality outcome, damaged trust and damaged morale of the stakeholders. Therefore, we need to either primary or secondary information to make our target accurate.

I think it is very important to talk to your managers to set realistic targets but not only to keep them in line if not to keep them high and go on the expectations

yes, you are right and sometimes it is very difficult to be aware of it because when we start a project we are full of energy and ideas.

Unrealistic targets can be advantagious and disadvantagious in several ways. eg for advanatage, it can push the team to achieve the unexpected and even more impactful changes in the society.
for disadvantage, if not achicve it demoralisses the team and patners and founders which hinders progress in the future.

Reaching many students in one year
Reaching All Tanzanians in 5 months

Un realistic targets are targets that are not expressed in terms of quantity, quality or efficiency and they do not have a time bound

Unrealistic targets can be advantagious and disadvantagious in several ways. eg for advanatage, it can push the team to achieve the unexpected and even more impactful changes in the society.
for disadvantage, if not achicve it demoralisses the team and patners and founders which hinders progress in the future.

How to identify targets when target beneficiaries are not keen to be identified or don't appear in statistics and research because their status or lack thereof, i.e. asylum seekers?

Unrealistic targets are those that are match the following criteria:

1. Are achievable with or without your input e.g. putting your target the same as statistics that are available from other websites that are achievable. This then shows that your project has no impact.

2. Doesn't match your resources. You have a budget but you set your targets too high above the budget you have.

3. Copied from other companies without consideration of the capacity you have in terms of manpower and timeline. One should analyse what the have to set targets according to what they have and how they can achieve it.

Firstly, unrealistic means that you do not recognize the truth about a situation, especially about the difficulties involved in something they want to achieve while target is an indicator established to determine how successfully you are achieving an objective.
Therefore, Unrealistic Targets is mostly identified when goals are set base on feelings by neglecting the data collation activity, like allowing our assumptions to influence our decision.

It's important to set targets that are realistic. It's also important to understand why we fail to meet targets - is it an issue in the program or is it a matter of unrealistic targets? To me, one issue that can come up is funders with unrealistic expectations. Working with donors to align expectations at the onset of the project is key to success.

It's important to set targets that are realistic. It's also important to understand why we fail to meet targets - is it an issue in the program or is it a matter of unrealistic targets? To me, one issue that can come up is funders with unrealistic expectations. Working with donors to align expectations at the onset of the project is key to success.

Setting unrealistic target is one of the main barrier to the way of achieving aimed success by the project. Due to this any organization can face humiliations in lot of ways. To avoid this problem, project employee should have at least previous project findings/ government reports of the working area or baseline data developed by them during target setting. Unrealistic target setting also imply that the project personnel didn't have clear idea on which they are dealing with.

Hello, it is very important to set realistic targets regardless how ambitious you are. And I think it's best to always consider who is the project for in order to be helpful to the target population. One might be the project manager but he is not the one that the project will benefit.
And what causes setting unrealistic targets? Is being over ambitious? Or one is losing the direction/ goal? Or probably he hasn't understood the goal of the project. What's your thought?

This could be those targets that are set , without a proper foundation , they could be set from emotions.

I wish to ask this important question considering the fact that sometimes donors and target beneficiaries are involved in setting targets for projects. In the event that the targets of a projects are not realized, what are the implications in terms of the relationship between the implementing organisation and the donors of the particular project?

Again, should organizations push towards surpassing the targets of their projects?

I wish to ask this important question considering the fact that sometimes donors and target beneficiaries are involved in setting targets for projects. In the event that the targets of a projects are not realized, what are the implications in terms of the relationship between the implementing organisation and the donors of the particular project?

Again, should organizations push towards surpassing the targets of their projects?

I quite agree with you; while we are discouraged from setting low targets, having targets that are too ambitious is also inappropriate and may present the organization in bad light before the donor

Unrealisic targets can have bad impacts on the project's results and achievements. It is important to keep in mind the possible causes that may lead to an inappropriate target setting, in order to try to aviod them.
Unrealistic targets may be due to diffeferent circumstances, such as:

• incorrect and not objective analyses of the context and of the phenomenon of interest of the project;
• overestimation of resources avaiable for the project;
• underestimation of the possible risks and uncertain events that may happen and may affect the effectiveness of the project.

Unrealistic targets occur mostly when do not have current or baseline data of the issue at hand. It can also happen when we over-estimate our resources (personnel, finances etc). Unrealistic targets lead to over-promise and under-delivery of project benefit(s) which most times jeopardise sustainability of project.

surestimat target

Targets should be realistic, evidence-based, and ambitious. Setting unrealistic targets means staff, implementing partners, and stakeholders will not be able to achieve the intended goal of the project. Unrealistic targets will lead to a stretch in program resources. At the same time, unrealistic targets demoralises confidence about an operating unit’s ability to plan and
perform. When an operating unit sets targets that are too high, it constantly falls short of the expectations it sets for itself and others.

In target setting, it is very important to have our targets as realistic as possible. Whenever we employ any bias to target setting, we might end up with unrealistic targets. It is therefore important to do research on the project, have every indicator right and from that we can avoid setting unrealistic targets

Targets should be realistic, evidence-based, and ambitious. Setting unrealistic targets means staff, implementing partners, and stakeholders will not be able to achieve the intended goal of the project. Unrealistic targets will lead to a stretch in program resources. At the same time, unrealistic targets demoralises confidence about an operating unit’s ability to plan and
perform. When an operating unit sets targets that are too high, it constantly falls short of the expectations it sets for itself and others.

If you say that someone is being unrealistic, you mean that they do not recognize the truth about a situation, especially about the difficulties involved in something they want to achieve.

There is at least one part of the logical flow that does not make sense. For example, it may be unclear how inputs will lead to outputs. However, other parts of the logical flow make sense.

unrealistic targets are targets that are not possible to achieve with in the limits of resources available for example time, money, workforce under a given situation

It is very important to establish TARGETS for the project, because it allows you to stay in line to achieve success and not derail or get lost in the process. However, it also implies responsibility since if they are not realistic, they can demotivate and frustrate the team, the beneficiaries and donors and as a consequence, the project would lose credibility.

But it not only depends on the fact that there is not enough money, equipment or personnel, so that a target is unrealistic, it also depends on the goal that is set, that you want to achieve, that it is not a simple utopian dream, but something real.

I agree... Setting the goals or targets to high... will not only waste resources, but also frustrate and cause lose of credibility, trust and, as a consequence, donors permanence or continuity of the project.
On the other hand, having too much confidence and security in one to set too high targets, could demoralize and wear out unnecessarily for wanting to show and accomplish something impossible

I believe that it is okay for donors and investors to participate in setting the TARGETS but not in a rigid or forced way, because they do not always know the full context or the reality of the beneficiaries, which can cloud their judgement as well as if they have specific personal interests which could lead to disaster.

We must have realistic to makes the target

how do you know an unrealistic target.

how do you know an unrealistic target.
how is a source reliable.
many information sources provide different figures for the base line, how do you identify the right base line so as to set a target.

Assumptions and risks identified in indicators

This is a great topic. Often times, I have seen reports where targets are made and identified in the way that would make them look grand and super successful. However, sometimes they seem unrealistic and make you question if they did truly achieve those targets given the other aspects of the reports such as the activities, budget, indicators, and so on.

                                     UNREALISTIC TARGETS

Unrealistic targets are targets that are impossible to achieve given the available resources, time planned and stake holder options.

For example in project target to distribute 1000 mosquito nets but your available project resources can only purchase 200 mosquito nets.
Hence the project target of distributing 1000 mosquito nets becomes an unrealistic target.

Unrealistic targets are those not achievable , they can be high or very low compared to the baseline.

Sometimes, team leaders tend to set unrealistic targets just to appease the funders or the upper management. It is important to set a realistic target to make sure that your goal would be to collect reliable and useful data, and not work on getting to the unrealistic target that you set regardless if you are getting the correct data or if you are doing the project correctly

A good target must be ambitious that provokes the team players to work towards achieving it.

If you say that someone is being unrealistic, you mean that they do not recognize the truth about a situation, especially about the difficulties involved in something they want to achieve.

A good target must be ambitious that provokes the team players to work towards achieving it.

unrealistic target is a target that is not achievable by available means or that is not practical basing on other prior information.

Sometimes, team leaders tend to set unrealistic targets just to appease the funders or the upper management. It is important to set a realistic target to make sure that your goal would be to collect reliable and useful data, and not work on getting to the unrealistic target that you set regardless if you are getting the correct data or if you are doing the project correctly

we need to be careful while setting targets because unrealistic targets can discourage the project staff and hinder the good implementation of a project. SMART ( Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based) targets would be much useful.

Unrealistic targets in my own view are those targets in a project which are overrated and cannot be met by following or restructuring of the organisation plan.
Targets can be un realistic if the amount of funds available for the project are not enough to meet the set goals.
Unrelealistic targets may cause wasting of resources since they are planned for properly and most likely errors and many challenges may arise during the project work
Thefore organisation should carefully plan their work and have a target which they are financially capable of and hav3 the necessary human resources for the project

Unrealistic target can lead to waste of organisation resources like money and time, exhaustion and disappointment of employees who have failed to reach the set targets

Unrealistic Targets are not based on data but on biases or feelings. If not revisited, can lead to project failure as many things would not be put into consideration.

One of the target creteria is to be ambtious but at the same time it should be realistic, when it is too ambtious it would be urealistic one for example if you have a fund alow you to supply just one million from certain product and you set target of two million which you havn't enough fund for it

Unrealistic targets can be avoided by engaging a number of experts and colleagues in same industry to vet the targets set. It also helps to avoid the temptation to impress funding donor with gigantic targets that aren't realistic. Failure to meet the set expectation (created in the donor's mind) can be more devastating to the project team's reputation. Therefore it is in the project team's interest to set realistic targets.

unrealistic targets are very high and are not achievable plus unreasonable. This is likely to have a negative impact on the team members since they have get a goal that is over the top and might begin to lack the motivation and ruin their productivity.

Unrealistic targets are those targets that one cannot achieve or are way far above what one can achieve based on past experiences on similar projects or common knowledge.

very true. it makes one try to work towards what has not been achieved by anyone before thus helping the entire humanity in setting new records in terms of what can be achieved in that respect.

Unrealistic targets are targets which when we consider the amount of resources required t achieve is not available and the time available is not achievable or reachable.

I am totally agree that we have to set our target in a realistic way through the agreement of all project stakeholders. If we set our target in a realistic way, we can really build a strategy to achieve the target. Otherwise, if we are not careful and choose unrealistic target, I think it can cause an overwhelming in building & implementing the strategy that will cause a disappointment to a lot of party

Agree! And I think, the important thing is we also have to look at our baseline data so we will be able to set the target in a realistic way

Agree! the experts judgement is one of the important thing to help us set the realistic targets. Communicating our targets and why do we choose those targets with donors would be a great step in the project

Unachievable target e.g as small organisation with meagre fund to set our target as " providing computers to every secondary schools in our area".

It is worth to mention that it risky to set unrealistic target; it might hinder the project from starting.

Setting realistic targets can be tricky, but if you consider the worst and best case scenario you can develop optimum targets while considering all parties.

Unrealistic targets are those not achievable , they can be high or very low compared to the baseline.

Unrealistic targets usually cant be achieved during the project implementation, the targets mast be SMART(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based), otherwise you wouldn't achieve them,

Thanks all for the good insights and ideas

I think that organisations often try to set highly ambitious goals especially on donor funded projects, only to realise the challenges in reseting those goals.
I did work on a programme where a lot of tough goals were set; it did come across as if we wanted to impress the donors. However, when we got into the phase of breaking down the impact into outcomes, outputs and input, we suddenly realise that we were aiming for something almost impracticable - funding resources, time and political economy issues. as well as the risks, assumptions and suitable indicators. Thankfully, the M&E team was able to guide the various teams to put together an effective Log Frame that was of real value to the beneficiaries of the programme, government and donors.

Unrealistic targets refers to targets that cannot be realised, most of which are 100%. No target is 100% efficient. To set-up targets, it must be realistic.

Unrealistic targets are usually borne from bias and assumptions. Thus, the need to set targets using data and not feelings. And these data should be reliable from an existing one or collected by self

Unrealistic targets - are targets that are not achievable, unrealistic in nature.
such targets are formulated with out using previous historical data/resources available, and other necessary information.
they are set based on assumptions/ biased data and individual based feelings perspective.
Un realist targets might divert the project resources to un-intended project window therefore can result project failure and gaps in the project outcome.
Un realistic targets might not able to cope with changes hence lack flexibility.

the module is well explained and now i can be able to set indicators without any biasness

How can we know that the targets set are too ambitious? Which one would be the best method to figure out (data, expert opinion,...)?

I was going to ask in relation to the project Targets is that a project can be stopped momentarily following natural disasters, in this case that we must do for the duration that we had chosen for the achievement of the objectives.

I have often been a victim of having either over ambitious targets or extremely under ambitious - resulting in unrealistic targets. This module has clearly enlightened me on how to achieve more realistic and evidence or fact-based targets using the various information sources such as baseline surveys. What has been your experience with unrealistic targets?

I believe if enough research is done there are smaller chances of setting up targets that are unrealistic for your project.
It is wise to adjust your targets when you see that they are a bit over board.

Unrealistic targets are not achievable and can even increase the cost of the project. therefore, it is important to set targets with the use of data and not feelings.

One thing about setting unrealistic targets is that your evaluation may be inaccurate. This means one risk thinking they have short-comings yet they did not scale the capacity of what needed resources in the project could achieve. Sometimes projects are not a failure, targets are just unrealistic.

Unrealistic targets are the targets that are mostly not practical to be implemented based on project's timeline or budget.

Unrealistic targets can cause staff to feel disappointed and frustrated.

True. They may cause staff to feel disappointed and frustrated because they did not meet the set targets.

explain what unrealistic targets are

Setting unrealistic targets can be can constructed as bullying or harrasment in the workplace

How do we get the grade for the previous assignments?

This topic is very simple, direct and easy. The area I find tricky is in setting indicator that are in accordance with the 7guidelines for identifying a good quality process indicators. An M&E expert is supposed to get the indicators right coupled with informed existing baseline information of possible achievements before setting targets that can remarkably be attributed as a positive impact of the project.

Setting realistic targets can be tricky, but if you consider the worst and best case scenario you can develop optimum targets while considering all parties.
I have realized participant tracking form is a very important part of data collection.

Target is an important component of a working M&E plan, without which your team is left in a hang as to what to do.
An ambitious but realistic one is necessary, this can only be achieved by using data to determine the better option. Reliance on emotions and biases only increases the possibility of the projects failure.

Target is an important component of a working M&E plan, without which your team is left in a hang as to what to do.
An ambitious but realistic one is necessary, this can only be achieved by using data to determine the better option. Reliance on emotions and biases only increases the possibility of the projects failure.

Its is important to set realistic targets. Setting unrealistic targets may upon completion of a project, demoralize you team for under achieving