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The unrealistic targets are among the problems causes the NGOs to distorted the quality of the service whcih will be delivered too. The quantity over quality for attracting more funds are among the problems for Targets on my region.

The data collections methods can double check and see realistic is the target and track the progress of the project too.

The unrealistic targets are among the problems causes the NGOs to distorted the quality of the service whcih will be delivered too. The quantity over quality for attracting more funds are among the problems for Targets on my region.

The data collections methods can double check and see realistic is the target and track the progress of the project too.

The data later to be archived and analyzed for decision making or reporting purpose.

The degree of the indicators cannot be suggested without clear vision to the topic

The degree of the indicators cannot be suggested without clear vision to the topic

What is unrealistic targets?

A target is unrealistic when an organization fails to recognize the truth about a situation, especially the difficulties involved in achieving a specific result. For example, unrealistic targets could result from the organization's unfamiliarity with the magnitude of the problem they want to solve or the available resources to solve the problem.
Some organizations have unrealistic targets because they want to impress donors. However, even if funding is available, time and other factors beyond your control could make your project fail to meet your targets.

A target is unrealistic when an organization fails to recognize the truth about a situation, especially the difficulties involved in achieving a specific result. For example, unrealistic targets could result from the organization's unfamiliarity with the magnitude of the problem they want to solve or the available resources to solve the problem.
Some organizations have unrealistic targets because they want to impress donors. However, even if funding is available, time and other factors beyond your control could make your project fail to meet your targets.

Very Insightful topic, it is good to know targets can be adjusted depending on factors that would affect the impact of the entire project as a whole. We often let Unrealistic targets just to satisfy what we think a donar needs or wants in order for to receive funding.

This has been a very useful module about indicators and targets. Setting unrealistic targets is something I have encountered, particularly with projects setting targets too low. In gender equality and empowerment work I have come across clients who do not want to be too ambitious in setting targets for number of women or girls reached because of past experiences where they were unable to reach those targets. The steps provided on how to set targets will be very helpful when I am dealing with those types of clients or when I am supporting a baseline activity.

The targets are important to see what we have achieved during our internal monitoring as well as during evaluation process. Setting good targets will ultimately lead to useful/known results, whether we able to go move forward into our goals.

An unrealistic goal 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 goals, check that each step of your plan is achievable. To stop setting unrealistic goals, make your goals simpler.


this are targets that dont make sense at all and can help the organization in setting up an monitiring and evaluation plan.

This has been a very useful module about indicators and targets. Setting unrealistic targets is something I have encountered, particularly with projects setting targets too low. In gender equality and empowerment work I have come across clients who do not want to be too ambitious in setting targets for number of women or girls reached because of past experiences where they were unable to reach those targets. The steps provided on how to set targets will be very helpful when I am dealing with those types of clients or when I am supporting a baseline activity.

Unrealistic targets, impossible deadlines or inadequate budgets can all play a factor that contributes towards these challenges

Targets must be realistic and incase the time elapses before the start of the project it is prudent to adjust the targets.

An unrealistic goal 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 goals, check that each step of your plan is achievable. To stop setting unrealistic goals, make your goals simpler.

An unrealistic goal 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 goals, check that each step of your plan is achievable. To stop setting unrealistic goals, make your goals simpler.

• unrealistic targets leads to falsified and weak quality outcomes
• difficult to generalize outcomes of unrealistic targets, easily misleads
• the consequences of unrealistic targets are difficult

Setting target is more complex that described in the module. For example setting quantitative targets demand a good knowledge of quantitative skill particularly forecasting skill. The other dimension of the complexity of setting target is that there is tension between the donor and the recipient of the fund in setting target, that is , while the donor wants to be ambitious the recipient want to assume less probable scenario and low targets.

The targets of the project have to be ambitious to convince the donor on how the organization can deliver the expected results, but realistic based on the reality on the ground.

What could be somw of the reasons why we may have unrealistic targets other than personal biases?
Poor baseline research
Poor use of previous statistics
Poor design of baseline studies

Unrealistic targets are un attainable .........It is very important to set realistic targets

Data management is a management discipline that tends to value data as a digital resource. Data management allows us to consider the development of architectures, regulations, practices and procedures that properly manage the needs of organizations throughout the data life cycle. Data is, along with processing, one of the two aspects of information systems traditionally identified, and one cannot go without the other for a coherent information system management. Data management is a vision of information system management that is built simply around the nature of the data and not according to a system and its interactions.

It's a great risk to set unrealistic targets - either too optimistic or too pessimistic. In my line of work I find some clients/projects want to set low gender targets. Especially if they do not understand the needs/dynamics of reaching those targets and do not have a clear implementation plan in place. It's important to do some bench marking and identify targets based on existing data where possible.

Unrealistic targets confess failure

Unrealistic targets confess failure

Hi, I am excited with this course, good luck

I agree with you. Unrealistic goals are like taking useless pills to be healthier, no result

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An unrealistic target isn't attainable, practical, or doable

that can not be measured

How do you you differenciate realistic and unrealistic target

unrealistic targets are when Ur targets are too low or too high to what is the reality.

Unrealistic expectations are a challenging part of a project work. There are a number of factors that lead to setting unrealistic targets for instance lack of careful planning, inaccurate estimation of costs, resources and time required, ineffective communication between all the participants involved in the project. Therefore ,this could cause no progress at all on the project.

merci pour ce module

Setting targets can be very tricky. A lot has to be put into consideration before setting targets. Its okay to set ambitious targets, but they must be other factors in play that have to be considered before setting targets. Factors like:

• Project Scope - the size of the project
• Resources - Time, Money , expertise or data needed
• Timeframe - Start date and end date

And other main more.

I agree. Realitic targets should always be propotional to the amount of resources available.

Unrealistic targets are those targets that can not be achieved because they are not realistic in nature

Targets should be ambitious but realistic. If you miss a target because you were unrealistic, everyone involved in the proect will end up disappointed.

Unrealistic targets are those that are too ambitious for the project to archive.

while selecting indicators it would be abit confusing as an junior M&E,,too ambitious targets are not always unrealistic i agree the budget should always be at the top while setting targets

Unrealistic targets. this are the targets that you set that are ambitious but are unattainable.

Unrealistic targets are the levels that a project is set to achieve but they are too high to achieve within the set timeframe. Unrealistic targets can result if the project team are too ambitious such that they feel they can achieve a certain quality, quantity or efficiency of outputs and outcomes. Similarly, unrealistic targets can result from failure to rely on data while setting the targets.

Basically, unrealistic targets are just unachievable targets.

Unrealistic targets ; are targets that are set ,yet they are almost impossible to achieve.

unrealistic targets, it is important to set targets that are realistic, we are able to do so by considering certain things in our project and and our process. There are times when we are unable to reach the targets that we have set for our project. For example; we can set a time frame for our project, that at a certain date we will have achieved some steps in our process and that can disrupted.

Thank you for me I think that unrealistic target when you focus on what you want rather than what you can actually do or have.

For my point of view it's difficult to set realistic targets - you have to learn a lot of successful projects implemented in other countries or by other donors, their experience, their collaboration with state departments, willing of the state departments to support own project etc. In projects were I was working targets were set mostly at low level, for example 100 teachers were trained in new curricula, 100 healthcare specialists were trained in new methods etc. - I don't know how these target was set.

Unrealistic goals can best be described as the goals you've set, yet they are almost impossible to achieve. While setting goals is important, you should set goals that are ambitious, yet attainable. Unrealistic goals can affect your employees both in the short term and in the long term.

We have definitely set some unrealistic targets at the organization where I work. This mostly stems from the fact that for some of our indicators in the past, it was quite challenging to set a target at all. For example, we wanted to keep track of how many children with learning difficulties or disabilities the teachers in our training program would identify based on what they learned during our training. Since there is no reliable data about the prevalence of learning difficulties & disabilities in Uganda and it was too complex and expensive for us to do a high-quality baseline data collection, we simply did not know what targets to set, especially since 'more' is not automatically 'better' in this context. Now I have learned that we could have used existing, worldwide data to set an estimated target.

Identifying realistic indicators and targets for the inputs, outputs, and outcomes was much easier than choosing realistic indicators and targets for the project impacts. A key challenge that I am facing is a lack of baseline data and the difficulty of collecting data on the scale that would be required to measure long-term impacts.

Identifying realistic indicators and targets for the inputs, outputs, and outcomes was much easier than choosing realistic indicators and targets for the project impacts. A key challenge that I am facing is a lack of baseline data and the difficulty of collecting data on the scale that would be required to measure long-term impacts.

Unrealistic targets can best be described as the targets you've set, yet they are almost impossible to achieve. While setting goals is important, you should set goals that are ambitious, yet attainable. Unrealistic targets can affect you, your team and your donors.

What dou thing about the Unrealistic Targets?*

I am Giang from Vietnam. I work at Hanoi Association of People with Disabilities. In this working area, I manage and conduct most project related to disability fields to support people with disabilities. So, indicators and targets are always important and neccessary in our project because of making sure how project are useful or helpful. I also would like anyone to share why indicators and targets are important with your working areas. Thanks!

Targets should be ambitious but realistic. If you miss a target because you were unrealistic, everyone involved in the proect will end up disappointed.

Hello all,

Setting goals that are almost impossible to achieve can be frustrating especially to workers. It is advised to set ambitious, yet attainable goals for serene and profitable work place. And it is good practice to set incentives to boost staff morale while setting targets. A happy and satisfied employee definitely makes a positive and efficient workforce.

It is evident to note that setting ambitious goals are paramount as they lead to improved results. However, it is good to make it attainable because unrealized targets can lead to vehement disappointment and set backs.

Unrealistic target will cause the project to be demotivated as they know it is unattainable. Unrealistic targets can also affect the achievement of the project impact

Unrealistic targets are targets that are set without full consideration of baseline knowledge if there are existing data, historical trends, expert opinion, stakeholders expectation, and project budget.
Unrealistic targets are targets that are ambitious and not realistic. These target can be set based on feeling that donor will want to fund the project if the target are high, not considering the project budget, and not considering if the result is measurable and achievable.

Unrealistic targets must not be set with bias.
Realistic targets must be set with relevent data and information.

In M&E, these are targets that often happen when project personnel set do not do their due diligence and set targets without data. These targets result in the personnel making uninformed decisions that often result in the failure of the project. Unrealistic targets do not consider the quality, quantity, and efficiency of the targets and thus end up wasting time, money, and other resources. As such, it is always important to do thorough research, find reliable sources, and collect and analyze said data before setting targets. This will help avoid setting any unrealistic targets and ease up the implementation of the project.

In M&E, these are targets that often happen when project personnel set do not do their due diligence and set targets without data. These targets result in the personnel making uninformed decisions that often result in the failure of the project. Unrealistic targets do not consider the quality, quantity, and efficiency of the targets and thus end up wasting time, money, and other resources. As such, it is always important to do thorough research, find reliable sources, and collect and analyze said data before setting targets. This will help avoid setting any unrealistic targets and ease up the implementation of the project.

In M&E, unrealistic targets often happens when project personnel set do not do their due diligence and set targets without data. These targets result to the personnel making uninformed decisions that often results to the failure of the project. Unrealistic targets do not consider the quality, quantity and efficiency of the targets and thus, ends up wasting time, money and other resources. As such, it is always important to do thorough research, find reliable sources, collect and analyze said data before setting targets. This will help avoid setting any unrealistic targets and ease up the implementation of the project.

Unrealistic targets are targets that are set without full consideration of baseline knowledge if there are existing data, historical trends, expert opinion, stakeholders expectation, and project budget.
Unrealistic targets are targets that are ambitious and not realistic. These target can be set based on feeling that donor will want to fund the project if the targets are high, not considering the project budget or if the result is measurable and achievable.

Depending on th resource envelope, targets may be affected and hence become unrealistic. Also many targets are time bound due to delays in release of the project budget.

Ambitious yet unattainable targets.
Targets that are almost impossible to achieve.

Unrealistic targets will waste time and resources on planning somethings that can not be achieved.

Unrealistic targets will waste time and resources on planning somethings that can not be achieved.

Can someone explain about unrealistic targets in details?

we are talking about targets, to set targets like M&E expert, we need to use data. not feelings to set target
This will ensure that we are not letting our bases or assumptions influence our decisions.

Data collection a process or technique for collection data.
Data collection tool is forms, documents or guides that help individuals or organizations collect data
one of our data collection tools is a peer educator, this is a form that collects data from the peer educator
as they conduct their session our peer educators are the ones that go out to field, they can collect information
about their detail of the faciltitor.

Unrealistic targets are targets that cannot be met due to resources available, risks and other factors.
When unrealistic targets are set the team ends up disappointed, the time and energy they put in is wasted too because the target is not realistic. Team members, donors and stakeholders will end up discouraged.

It is unrealistic to assumer that you will not encounter unrealistic targets. Whether it is due to ambition, over-optimistic ideas, or data that is overestimated, we will always have to determine whether our targets are unrealistic or not. It is wise to set a target that may be out of reach and a target that is obviously attainable and then find the happy middle between the two.

Again I have learned that it is key to set not only ambitious but also realistic targets and this puts the project on the road to success. I hope to always reference the seven criteria to come up with strong indicators which can then be used to set the targets. A project with clear targets is transparent which is important to the team members, beneficiaries, donors, and other project stakeholders.

There are ways to avoid unrealistic target. In this case, a baseline data is critical for decision making.

Unrealistic targets are often stemming from a place of "wanting to do good" however they can be avoided by considering things like; project budget, staffing, baseline of data in the area the project is occurring, and better defined indicators

Unrealistic targets are often stemming from a place of "wanting to do good" however they can be avoided by considering things like; project budget, staffing, baseline of data in the area the project is occurring, and better defined indicators

To the uninitiated, sales might appear like an easy career option. Firstly, there’s the client schmoozing, then there’s attendance at swanky events and to top it all off, salespeople all earn huge amounts of money, right? Not quite.

Anyone that has ever worked in a sales environment will know how much of a misperception this is and will be happy to share just how difficult the sales rep’s role really is. The commonly-used performance-based pay structure (low base pay combined with ‘incentivizing’ commission opportunities) means that reps have little choice but to work hard to meet their targets or face a lean month. But, what happens when targets seem unachievable? How should sales reps handle unrealistic sales targets?

1. Don’t panic

As humans, our instinctive reaction to anything that threatens our job security or earning potential is to worry about it. Not hitting your target for a month can be considered an indication of inadequacy. However, the first step to managing the situation is not to panic. You’ve identified an issue you need to resolve; now, there are several steps you can take to improve it.

2. Adjust your approach

Depending on what and how you sell, fine-tune your approach. If you are in telesales involving lots of cold calls, monitor what time of the day and which day of the week the most fruitful calls occur. Make your calls in accordance with this information, and see your numbers start to stack up.

If you are in direct sales, invest in leveraging all channels including social media to build in thorough account information. My personal favorite is subscribing for the prospect company’s press releases and announcements–you will be surprised by the actionable intelligence you get out of this.

Lastly, if you are indirect or channel-driven sales, build a business case for additional budget and invest in targeted demand generation programs with your channel.

3. Assess your working practices

Is the way that you work hindering your chances of meeting targets? Are you using all your social selling tools? Are there any changes you could make in your processes that would increase your productivity? Can you, for example, be more organized regarding having a clear agenda and updated deck for your appointments? Or would working flexibly help you achieve more–it makes sense if you’re a morning person, for example, to start earlier. Take a look at some productivity improvement methods; they could make all the difference.

4. Speak up

If you’ve taken a hard look at your processes, worked to optimize your timing, and your targets really are unattainable, then it’s time to speak to your manager. Before you do so, it’s a good idea to put a business case together to demonstrate what you think is causing the problem–whether it’s the head office’s misguided notion that the targets will motivate staff or just a lack of business opportunity in your patch. Emphasize the steps you’ve taken to turn this issue around and ask for them to reconsider the goals. You may well find that fellow reps are having the same problems but haven’t spoken up.

Regarding the setting of unrealistic targets, it really exposed me to similar situations in the past where we set out unrealistic targets due to the energy level without appropriate data and by the time we got to execution, we were totally overwhelmed and it got us back to the drawing table and finally we were able to reset and execute.

Unrealistic targets are usually based on over ambitious assumptions.

unrealistic target; can cause project not achieve/met, what is planned to achieve or failure. and if this happen is must the project to have review meeting with the stakeholders to re-plan. and mostly what cause this happen are;
1- lack of careful planning
2-inaccurate estimation whether the target beneficiary or the cost and
3- other resource and time required
4- ineffective communication between all the participants involved in the target.

Setting unrealistic targets will definitely lead the whole team to vague directions. For setting realistic targets, it is important to have more consultation with experts, collect data and critically estimate future events.

What is unrealistic targets? Unrealistic targets are tardet that you are not achieved.

Great module

Good to hear that targets are flexible depending on circumstances. In-deed staffs need training on M&E so they understand that its not M&E department role

I like that i have now learned how to set realistic targets using various soures

I like that i have now learned how to set realistic targets

Unrealistic targets are bad not only for the organization but also for the project and Human Resources. Unrealistic targets may lead to poor outcomes, burnout and a loss of donor support.
Organizations can guard against setting unrealistic targets by having a solid monitoring and evaluation plan, a strong theory of change, doing baseline research, looking up historical trends and doing proper budgeting. The beauty is, targets are not set in stone and thus can be adjusted .

hello everyone

please how do i differentiate an unrealistic target from an ambitious target?

Unrealistic targets are either overly ambitious or do not take into account the project's historical, actual, and potential.

Data management is the practice of collecting, keeping, and using data securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

Unrealistic target can be discouraging and disappointing to both you, worker and your donors, so when target will not be achievable is better adjusting it

Target Areas

Any aspiration that isn't reasonable, doable, or attainable qualifies as an unrealistic objective. Unrealistic goals cause you to burn out or become bored, which leads to an early resignation. Verify that each phase of your plan is doable to spot any unrealistic objectives. Simplify your goals to quit setting impossible ones.

Any aspiration that isn't reasonable, doable, or attainable qualifies as an unrealistic objective. Unrealistic goals cause you to burn out or become bored, which leads to an early resignation. Verify that each phase of your plan is doable to spot any unrealistic objectives. Simplify your goals to quit setting impossible ones.

Un projet est toujours ajustable si nécessaire.

Unrealistic targets are often stemming from a place of "wanting to do good" however they can be avoided by considering things like; project budget, staffing, baseline of data in the area the project is occurring, and better defined indicators

to setting target in you project help well to achieve your main goals.