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Setting goals which push staff to achieve their best can lead to very positive results.

On the other hand, setting unrealistic goals can have a negative impact on employees and the business. Here are some of the effects that may occur in the short-term:

Unrealistic target will be difficult to achieve, makes your project doomed to be unsuccessful

There are times when we get carried away and set overly ambitious targets that we genuinely feel are realistic. Other team members can point this out to us via constructive feedback.

Unrealistic targets can hinder the accomplishment of the project success in the given amount of time. Targets need to be achievable and obtainable and often if unrealistic, it means the project has no plan and no direction, thus like goals and objectives, the target need to be realistic and time bound for it to succeed.

I share the same sentiments.

unrealistic target are hard to measure the progress and its achievement this will automatically translate that the goals will not be met. Unrealistic target will not factor in the resources available and the targets are not flexible for changes such as change in finances and duration of the project.

One of the things I have learnt is to set targets based on available data and not emotions. Out of exciting it is possible to come up with very unrealistic targets without even paying close attention to availability of funds. Again, the inability to meet unrealistic targets has a tripartite effect on the donor, team and the beneficiaries who may have become expectant.

Organizations must be careful not to set unrealistic targets they are not able to reach or achieve as this will affect or determine whether or not they will be considered by future donors. Sometimes, targets are not cast on stones, there are some circumstances that can warrant organizations to revisit their targets and change them. circumstances like reduced or increased funding, insecurity or the eruption of an unforeseen circumstance.

Some unrealistic target include setting out to carry out work for which funding is not available and time is short.

An unrealistic goals is any ambition that isn't attainable practical, or doable. When you set unrealistic goals, you get bored or burnt out and you quit early. To recognize unrealistic goal, check that each step of your plan achievable. To stop setting unrealistic goals make you goals simpler.

There are at least three main outcomes from setting your goals too high:

1. Burnout: If you're pushing yourself hard than you're capable of or harder than your life circumstances allow, it's only a matter or time before you crash.
2. Boredom: A large part of accomplishing any goal is consistent action over time.
3. Quitting: Unrealistic goals are also unachievable goals.

I think that it is imperative to set realistic targets in order to avoid the disappointment that comes when you actually perform well below those targets

What if the target was gotten from needs assessment, and this is way higher than the target allocated for the project

In my experience, setting targets sometimes become most of a "what to say to please the donors?" task than a methodical exercise of researching and identifying baselines. I don't if others have experienced this kind of predicaments before, and if so, what have you done to overcome that discussion and set the targets properly.

I have come to learn that the key issue for project success is defining realistic targets that takes into account the available resources (staff, time, finance) the organization has. This course gives me the opportunity to understand the consequences of defining unrealistic targets.

Unrealistic target are not motivational target. Targets should be achievable even within a set period of time.

Unrealistic target are not motivational target. Targets should be achievable even within a set period of time.

Unrealistic targets should be avoided. Targets that can be achieved within a timeframe should be set

Unrealistic targets should be avoided. Targets that can be achieved within a timeframe should be set

Setting unrealistic targets is a big problem in many projects and it almost always leads to failure in achieving the objectives of goal of the project unless such targets are reviewed. Good and reliable baseline data and effective stakeholder engagement is crucial in guiding the project team set realistic targets.

Setting unrealistic targets is a big problem in many projects and it almost always leads to failure in achieving the objectives of goal of the project unless such targets are reviewed. Good and reliable baseline data and effective stakeholder engagement is crucial in guiding the project team set realistic targets.

As M&E experts, the best to do is to set realistic targets and adjust your target when it quite necessary

Quite true

Unrealistic targets are targets which cannot be achieve in a practical sense or simple overthinking that concert with limited resources that constrains from fully achieving the target you set. Eg. You may set a target as, Number of 20 students to be assist for tertiary institution", but the funding is enough to sponsor only 12 students.

i think that i have come to know and learn a lot of things on targets settings. to know that indicators and targets have characteristics to follow before putting them to use has been very enriching to as a HCM. i think i am getting more equipped with is course more than i had thought it would be . M&E is indeed an essential part of project execution. the role she plays in management and project management is undeniable the heart of project management.

i totally agree with Jennefer, on this write up. i also think that one of the unrealistic targets can come as a result of insufficiency in budgeting . for instance, your target maybe to distribute 2000 aquo tablets for the purification of drinking water in a particular community but the budget disbursed to your team can purchase just 1000 tablet. this therefore means that, target has to adjusted .

that opinion is very NAKU37, but also another one i have across is setting up huge targets to impress the donors because you want them to sponsor your projects but at the end of the project , the team is unable to realizes this targets. so i would rather advise for those writing most of these projects to collect their bassline data to use as a tool to estimate their targets.

Unrealistic targets can bring failure to the project just as the name suggests, it will be unrealistic, and unachievable .it is good to put your targets at a medium level, even though a donor or a partner might have much money to put into the project, medium level targets will show that you are not extravagant, you are experienced in resource management and you take into consideration the financial burden that the donor might have , to mean you can be empathetic. These are qualities/virtues that are needed in a humanitarian arena which are the most dominant settings in project planning.

I agree with your thoughts

This course is helpful, I am learning a lot too

Unrealistic target could possibly lead to drastic consequences. Targets need to be attainable and measurable. Otherwise, there is no need of setting unachievable ones.

well thought out topic

Unrealistic Targets can be dangerous it may lead the organization to false hope. Targets should be realistic and measurable.

Targets are unrealistic where from historical findings, data available and from previous data it can not be attainable.
An example of unrealistic target is preempting that after 1 year of giving microloans in MEH Project all the participants will have successful business.

Unrealistic Targets can be dangerous it may lead the organization to false hope. Targets should be realistic and measurable.

Unrealistic Targets can be dangerous it may lead the organization to false hope. Targets should be realistic and measurable.

Unrealistic targets are sometimes ambitious targets or targets which are impossible to reach because of lack of money (low budget,), materials or according of the situation, there are some beliefs or culture make them impossible to be attempted.

the situation where you set targets that do not answer you set goals in the project

An unrealistic target is any ambition that is not attainable or practical. To recognise unrealistic targets, you need to check that each step of your plan is achievable. Unrealistic targets often have outcomes such are burnout, boredom and quitting. It is therefore important to assess each target to enable you to know whether it is unrealistic or not.

I have learnt how go about setting realistic goals. This include using existing reliable data sources, using expert opinions, collecting baseline data and taking into consideration the resources that I have. I have also learnt that targets can be adjusted accordingly to changes in circumstances such as funding and major changes in target audience. I feel confident in my capacity to not only set realistic targets but also to realize overly ambitious ones.

Setting unrealistic targets is a big problem in many projects and it almost always leads to failure in achieving the objectives of goal of the project unless such targets are reviewed. Good and reliable baseline data and effective stakeholder engagement is crucial in guiding the project team set realistic targets.

Unrealistic targets are those targets that are too ambitions and difficulty to be achieved. Some project funders forget that to achieve their goals require a considerable time-frame and resources, therefore, they set up their targets to be accomplished as rapidly as possible, which sometimes is impossible. If your project fails to achieve the set targets in a due period, that means that you have unwisely set your targets (in other words, you have set up unrealistic targets).

Unrealistic targets are those that may not be reached. This happens when you set very high targets.
Also targets that are so low are unrealistic since the project cannot achieve its purpose.
For example;If MEH sets a target like:To give out 10,000loans, this will be unrealistic given that funds for loans are inadequate.

PS: l have not been able to connect to any discussion due to network challenges. Therefore the feedback is just what I think is being discussed. Kindly help me.

indicators are extremely important for the success of a project, they allow to measure the progress towards the results, to adjust the project and to make better decisions.

setting targets that you will or may not reach by the timeframe

setting targets that you will or may not reach by the timeframe

1. How much was the loan value.

setting targets that you will or may not reach by the timeframe

1. How much was the loan value.

Every trainee becoming employable and civic minded at the end of the training.

Unrealistic targets can undermine the morale of any team. Targets should be ambitious enough that the team is challenged but not overwhelmed!

Unrealistic targets can be very demoralizing to any team. Targets should be chosen such that they challenge the team without making them overwhelmed.

1. Setting targets that you know are not attainable at the beginning of the project without any traceable project measuring tools from previous projects.
2. If last year or last quarters target was 55% then you only achieved 22%, its very unrealistic to set your target for the following year or quarter to 75%.
3. You can only achieve your targets by ensuring that you always revisit your set targets to the reached targets.
4. If your target,location and demographic targets are all moving in one direction just know that your targets are realistic but if one of them is not working right then its unrealistic.

It is always better if you set your goals based on past projects because if you set your goals based on how we are feeling because if we are optimistic out targets would be to high and when we are pessimistic our standards maybe set to be to low. We need to be ambitious but realistic

Targets were set but we were unable to reach them because we set out goals a bit to high and we didn't have the resources to reach our goal

Dear team mates,setting unrealistic targets makes our donors doubt our data sources and proves that our project goal can not be achieved

I believe it is only possible to set a realistic target after looking at preliminary reports on a similar problem

Every trainee becoming employable and civic minded at the end of the training.

Every trainee becoming employable and civic minded at the end of the training.

Project Goal: Empowering Rural Community for Improved Agricultural Productivity.
Project Purpose: To sustainably increase food security and availability of income in the peasant farmer households.

An organization which set unrealistic targets often lack understanding of the intricacies involved in a project and the ripple effect they create on decisions, contingencies and risk. Once you understand the underlying reasons for any unrealistic targets, you can let go of these goals or correct them. Correcting unrealistic targets is easy. By relying on available data, program implementer can quickly make the case for more reasonable targets that still drive performance improvement by: Identifying actual past performance; confirming all trends and anomalies
Showing what it would take to reach the unrealistic target; finding middle ground; and adjusting timeline for achieving the goal, if the target setter is unwilling to change the target.

A huge headache is caused when there are unrealistic targets, but there are many ways the project manager can get ahead of them and eradicate them from the start. Understanding the scope of work, the community experience and expectations and the team’s workload is an essential part in creating realistic deadlines and communicating that to every party involved in the project.

Creating realistic targets is a skill that comes from adept project management.

Somehow, through the ancient, mystic project management arts, the project manager will be able to deliver under budget on an unrealistic timeline. This is similar to the problem of expecting miracles. There, we saw that the project manager was expected to be a miracle worker, delivering on project goals when the leaders who were supposed to provide direction and support were not involved and still expected success.

Setting unrealistic targets will not motivate the team working for that project to work and also this may indicate lack of ambitious and bullying.

Nice module

The topic underscores the importance of having achievable targets within the means available for the project.

Rehausser le niveau de tous les élèves du primaire

Data collection tools are an essential element in the research phase. Choosing the right instrument will enable me, to gather the information that is able to answer the research objectives. Data collection should be determined when your sample and purpose of research are clear. After understanding these two, you could specify which data collection technique suitable to collect your information.

Unrealistic targets are the targets that you just set without evidence that you will achieve them. These are targets that are set without using data and mostly they are biased, they are targets that are set without establishing a baseline, targets set without looking at historical trends or looking at other sources of information. If you choose unrealistic targets you will not achieve them and they become a demotivation factor to yourself, employees and donors. Unrealistic targets are expensive. They make a project fail. When designing a project avoid setting unrealistic targets.

Unrealistic targets are very or over ambitious targets that a project sets and will find difficult if not impossible to achieve. They targets may be set with very little information or data to support as the their basis; rather on feelings. Achieving them may be beyond the project's financial or operational capacity.

Unrealistic targets may falsely suggest that project are not delivering project activities at the level and quality required; it can be demoralizing.

Target turns out to be unrealistic when your goal set is low. This will make investors not to fund ur target because it is unrealistic

It is interesting to learn ways to set the target

I find indicators and targets the most challenging. This is definitely the step when you have to do the most research before you begin your project.

unrealistic target comes when some other unplanned nature happenings are not consider when making target, its also importance to check on what the previous project achieve there there was any and take a deep look on what made them not achiebve or achieve their target to avoid making unrealistic targets

Unrealistic targets are usually derived from goals that do not meet the SMART principle of a goal. So if the objectives are poorly defined, the targets will automatically be unrealistic.

With this course, I discovered why sometimes I have trouble achieving my goals. Indeed I was able to discover how to set a goal and be able to achieve it.

I agree with you, but I wanted to add that the unrealistic objective is not necessarily linked to a natural phenomenon that occurs during the execution of the project. The unrealistic objective is an objective that is poorly defined at the base, that is to say that does not respect the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and executed in Time)

Unrealistic targets are those targets that may be difficult meet and this may be due to lack of a target level hence there's no evidence that you attained your desired target.

i concur with you

Unrealistic target we can define as the target which can not reached after the project set its targets. This can not state whether is qualitative, quantitative or efficiency and might happens when the team is very pessimistic.
The project can have unrealistic target when the team can not conduct the baseline survey or research on what the projects need to be done in a certain community. So its too difficult sometime to observe the unrealistic targets if there is no good monitoring and evaluation.

Setting realistic target is vital because it really prevent frustrations.

A target describes the level that a project intends to reach at a certain date. These are a commitment to reach certain results. Setting a target is not an easy task as one may set targets which are too higher if he/she is too optimistic or may set too low targets if pessimistic. It is important to have baseline targets before setting your own targets. Baseline targets are targets that your indicator is at before your project starts and whatever changes or happens will be based on what was already there before the project commenced.
Targets are not a fixed entity; these can be adjusted due to factors like change in budgets. It is ideal to keep the original targets though.
People may set targets which are unrealistic in nature. This may be as a result of not doing a research on similar projects to see how others did on similar projects. This leads to frustrations to the project teams as well as donors. So when setting targets, it is indeed important to set ambitious but realistic targets to avoid being failures because we have failed to reach the targets that we set. These will inform the donors on how we plan to execute the project and these will be a backup of the funding that we get from the donors.

Some targets can really be unrealistic in the sense that they can aim higher than the available funds to achieve such targets. In the end, those targets can hardly be achieved.

unrealistic targets is when employees may be forced to rush work, cut corners and not take proper care. This can lead to mistakes and poor quality outcomes. If you set your budget based on unrealistic expectations, you may be surprised when project costs overrun.

How to handle unrealistic targets at work

1. Practice setting and enforcing boundaries. ...
2. Consider your supervisor's intentions. ...
3. Solicit help from your coworkers to reach goals. ...
4. Meet with your supervisor and offer feedback. ...
5. Create a workflow timeline that can help you succeed.

The consequences of unrealistic targets 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.

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Set realistic targets guys

Targets are to be set for each indicator that measures success in the project.
Every project needs baseline data to determine the targets. The baseline is the level that your indicator is at before the project starts. We can find the baseline data by researching using an existing reliable data source or project, by collecting data if no data source exists and by starting at baseline 0 if you are providing a new type of service

There are some situation which is not in our hand (Covid-19), in that case can we revised our targets

Un realistic targets are ambitions that are not easy to be attainable, practical or doable. When u set unrealistic targets you get bored or burnt out and you quit early. For example 100% girls and boys vaccinated, chances are high that due to different factors not all boys and
girls will be vaccinated.

I have really understood this topic 😸 now I can tell why most projects fail while others are successful

Unrealistic targets puts a lot of pressure on the team trying to achieve something that is not achievable or even feasible. It discourages the team because they work hard but the results always show that the team is not productive as it should.

It is important to check if the targets are realistic because even finding data during the baseline evaluation and even at the end would be tough and difficult for the team. Finally, unrealistic targets might lead to losing the funds, donors, and even trust from the stakeholders. It is crucial to set the realistic targets.

From experience in the banking industry that I used to work at, this is so much more than a myth.
The belief that one need to push harder than capacity is a norm there.
With this topic, it is clear to me now that Targets should be well fashioned with attainability in mind and not any bogus set target aimed at tearing the participant apart.
Targets should generally have a flow and with proper assumptions that will / can make it real and attainable.

Unrealistic targets are those set without putting into consideration some key components project elements like funds available into consideration. Your budget will determine what you are able to do. For example, you might want to distribute 80,000 mosquito nets, but only have the funds to purchase 40,000. To execute this project, adjustment will have to be made to allow for realistic target.

Unrealistic targets make it difficult to measure project success, if they are too high, the project team may feel like they didn't make any contribution to development and if they are too low, the project team may assume they performed so well.

unrealistic targets can also bias funders if they have to look at the M&E plan before funding the project. Being over ambitious can create mistrust before funders sometimes so we really have to think before setting targets and if possible engage key stakeholders while setting them.

Also, when we anticipate a change in the project environment but still insist on a target that will most likely be affected by the anticipated change, then that is unrealistic. It is wiser to revise, I believe after the COVID-19 pandemic many organizations had to revise their targets for example.

A possible unrealistic target for the MEH project could be that all the girls would be millionaires in one year

I quite agree with you. Ambitious, yes, but realizable.

Unrealistic targets will be unlikely to be reached leading to frustration by project staff and the donors. They could also be too easily achieved leading to a false sense of achievement but with little impact in the project implementation area.

Setting a goal for a program/project is an important part of programming. A program or a project should not ideally have multiple goals. The goal is what has to be ultimately achieved; the final form or situation that we would like to see. But it is to be clearly distinguished from vision. Goal and vision are two entirely different things. Goal is more about where we want to reach and vision is more about what we want to see. A vision can be more idealistic but a goal has to be more realistic.

Every indicator needs to have set targets. Every survey also needs to have a baseline which is the level that your indicator is at before the project starts. Baseline data can be gathered from an existing reliable data source, collected by yourself or starting from 0 if you are providing a new service

the topic was interesting and a little challenging compared to the previous. However, I was able to grip most of the things and I am sure in the course of time, I will be able to have a grip over all of them