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  • Staff

    Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

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  • We used to file monthly report for certain organization that I once worked with and at the beginning of every month the National level would set targets for each province and being at the local level the set target would seem unrealistic due to either the target exceeding the resources at hand or the target not being applicable to the situation at hand..e.g: the target would request that only high school student be included in program by reason of age while we have student of the same age whilst in primary school.

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    One time I was asked to reach an unrealistic goal was when I was working on a project where low income community members were to open a mobile money saving account for basic healthcare needs but the targets were too high. I responded by collaborating with fellow colleagues and did a short survey on households, this way we realised that most of the community members had other secured other insurance policies therefore they did not need other options.

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  • Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was when I was requested to plan for too many field missions per month, which would not have allowed staff to have any rest. I responded by stating the reasons for refusal and adjusted the plan accordingly.

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was when I was requested to teach and cover a non verbal reasoning book 2 to a 6 year old child in three hours which would not be possible for the child. I responded by given the managing trustee reasons why that could not be achieved and suggested 10 hours with 20 minutes break after each hour to enable the child comprehend effectively.
    I would advice myself and anybody reading this, that it's inevitable to run away from such kind of unrealistic targets from our managers, supervisors e.t.c but how we respond back to them is very important. We should be calm and clear to the reasons why the targets can not be achieved and give alternatives to achieving such a target. I believe it would go a long way in helping us achieving our targets.

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  • One time that i was asked to reached unrealistic target was not long ago regarding maternal mortality. The inputs from the donors were grossly inadequate to realize such outcome and impact within the stipulated time. So we outlined all these challenges and forwarded to them, to make necessary adjustments where need be.

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  • The time I was given unrealistic target and I knew that I would not achieve the target, I responded in the following way:

    We cannot achieve this target because it is unrealistic and the reasons are as follows: a) due to the short period in which we need to carry this task, we wont have the capacity considering the number of staff in the department and considering the processes that are followed in procurement. We can only achieve this target if we do the following:
    a)seek approval on certain procurement to shorten the processes
    b) fast truck the processes in order to achieve the targets
    c) Every person involved in procurement decision making should be ready to be called upon at anytime when a meeting is called upon
    d) to engage a few interns to assist the procurement department in order to achieve that target
    My suggestions where approved and we worked accordingly and we achieved the target.

  • Sometime back we I was working on a project where we collected data/ surveys, and my team was given a target of each field officer to complete 4 surveys a day. All the other resources were provided but only one would not checkout, Time basing on the season of the year. It was a rainy season and we would take more time than usual to reach field being rural setting and very bad road. Each survey was taking approximately 2hrs which means we needed 8hrs of surveying to complete 4 surveys each and we had to a journey of about 1hr to go, 1hr to come back. The plan was meet the team at 7:30 in the morning debrief for 30 minutes, 8 headout, 9 start surveying till 5:30 in the evening. Head back, be at office by 6:30. Which was okay in real sense. But, it was a rainy season where we would get stuck on the bad roads for many hours and we did not have very good vehicles to. So, I talked to my supervisors, my team, about the target that we hard and the difficulties we are having reaching it. we first agreed on bringing closer reporting time to 7:00 am but we were still not hitting the target, we hard to settle for 3 surveys a day and at times it would mean leaving very early, earlier that 7 and sometimes coming back later than 6:30pm.

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  • When piloting IGCSE for refugees the target was to enroll 20 candidates which was too ambitious for me.I suggested to the team that we plan for amaximum of 7 given that in Kenya self learning is uncommon and quite a number might not be confident to sit for the final exams ,we need to have evidence before the mass registration

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target whereby i was required to vaccinate 4,000 heads of cattle per day with a team of three vaccinators and two animal handlers. This was not possible because cattle requires a lot of manpower to restrain for proper vaccination. The realistic target would be 1,500 cattle per day. I responded by showing my supervisor the average numbers vaccinated by similar teams from previous projects. Data available from vaccination reports showed that the highest similar teams vaccinated between 1,000-15,00 cattle per day. we therefore agreed that my team would set a target of 1,500 cattle per day.

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  • This is an excellent example

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  • I would advice them to sit down and review their targets so they can work under no pressure and will not be suprised with the result if they go down than their unrealistic and ambitious targets.

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  • One time me and my colleague were given about 16 rural sites to assess the water source within 10 days. During the assessment we realized that we could not finish all the sites because the sites were located very far apart and the weather conditions was not on our side as it was raining most of the time. We ended up finishing only 12 sites. When we came back to the office we discussed this with our supervisor and we adjusted our future site visit plan.

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  • When you're exploring possible goals, you need to unleash your imagination and ambition, put your reservations aside, and dream big dreams. However, once you've decided on a goal, make sure that it is realistic, and that you can actually achieve it in the time frame that you have set for yourself.

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  • Actually, i am working on a WASH project, one of the target is to provide potable water for everyone in the village where we are implementing that project, i realize that the target is too high because some person might still not want to use it and due to our financial constraint we might be unable to provide water for everyone.

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  • Yes, there was this time we promised to reach 100,000 farmers in 3years when we had just concluded a program where we reached only 1,500 in the same duration.

    We over-promised the donor and were not able to meet the target. we therefore reviewed the targets with the donor and had to bring in additional interventions to meet the target. Towards the end of the project, we looked for additional funding to meet the target we had set.

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  • @nafulasmamai said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:
    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was to have half young women and half young men in my entrepreneurship program but young women ws difficult to involve in those programme due to their many other reproduction occupation and less interest for being in the frontline with men. I responded by asking if the funder will accept tolerance to the indicators or to be practical if we should prioritise the women first and limit men to be sure that the final group have the desired team configuration .

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  • Unfortunately I have not yet worked on development projects involving M&E, thus I have no previous experience on this matter. I am however looking forward to learning from those that have had experience with this situation.

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  • One time i was asked to reach unrealistic target was when i was moved to a new branch that i was to manage from conception. The branch i was managing prior to the transfer was smashing the target on monthly patient numbers. The management had to give me unrealistic target on total new patients. I responded by telling them to explain to me how they had come up with the target. I and my team sat down and came up with a monthly plan but despite all our efforts we did not hit our target.

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was back during my BA. I was told that we had to gather more than 300 people for an event days before the event was going to happen. I had already informed that we had an RSVP list of almost 100 people, however, the mentor believed it was not nearly enough, thus she increased the quota days before. I responded by contacting my team and promoting the activity all over social media to reach the quota but the activity was during a Saturday and there were other activities on Campus going on at the same time. Initially, we panicked and went out on campus with flyers to promote even further. In the end, we reached 160 people for the event, the mentor was displeased and the team disappointed. My advice is to do your best and celebrate your success, even if we didn't get the 300 people, it would have been impossible to do so in 3 days before the event and with 4 other events at the same time. Nevertheless, we increased the original amount and learned that desperate times calls for desperate measures. We became a better and more unified team after this.

  • In our project we had goals which were not realistic based on the reality of the country, and as the organization didnt want to comittee itself to a goal that could not be reached, we then adjusted the goals and communicate with the donor.

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  • @Bmoraa said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time i was asked to reach unrealistic target was when i was moved to a new branch that i was to manage from conception. The branch i was managing prior to the transfer was smashing the target on monthly patient numbers. The management had to give me unrealistic target on total new patients. I responded by telling them to explain to me how they had come up with the target. I and my team sat down and came up with a monthly plan but despite all our efforts we did not hit our target.

    It is always a good a idea to re plan and have realistic goals and targets as it helps to build confidence with our donors.

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was of establishing woodlots for 100 green school . I responded by giving some nursery owner in the various sub-counties spaces in the various school to establish woodlots without involving the students .This due to the timeline constrain and distribution of the school was spread out and in remote areas with poor roads.Late i planned for site visits to discuss with the students and gave them each a tree to continue taking care of it.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    When asked to reach a target that was not realistic, it is best to communicate this with project stakeholders, and provide supplementary information that reflects how and why the target is un realistic. Then, using this information, a new target can be defined.

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  • One of the unrealistic target I was asked was to do with SIM registration. The expected number of KYCs per day was too high, and the possibility of errors in the verification of records was high.

  • I once led an event where all the communication, social media, advertisements and designs had to be approved by the USAID through our client which subcontracted us. We were given 3 month to prepare an event targeting at 500 youth in agriculture. But we spent 1 month waiting for budget approval and another month for communication materials. Then mobilize local staff. We practically had 15 days to effect the event. It was pure stressful.

    But we locally mobilized the youth, tripled advertisements, sponsored some local chiefs and ended up with 3,000 youth in 15 days

  • I have never worked on unrealistic traget before but in a situation like that, i will make aure i give a genuine reason why the target is unrealistic and give a proper solution to change the target to realistic one.

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  • At Water Collective Cameroon, every 22nd of march we celebrate the world's water in on of one of our project locations.
    Last year with had a target to sensitise 500 Community members through the distribution of T-Shirts carrying the years theme, Nature for Water.
    On the proper day of the project we discovered that 750 people came out.
    Due to that we were force to give t shirts only to 500.

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  • @Cutie said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    I have never worked on unrealistic traget before but in a situation like that, i will make aure i give a genuine reason why the target is unrealistic and give a proper solution to change the target to realistic one.

    That's great

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  • @AshaNMaharaj said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    When asked to reach a target that was not realistic, it is best to communicate this with project stakeholders, and provide supplementary information that reflects how and why the target is un realistic. Then, using this information, a new target can be defined.

    Great one there

  • @LevensonBadio said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Actually, i am working on a WASH project, one of the target is to provide potable water for everyone in the village where we are implementing that project, i realize that the target is too high because some person might still not want to use it and due to our financial constraint we might be unable to provide water for everyone.

    Great analysis

  • One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was setting targets for the AIMS roll-out. I responded by telling them that I needed accurate data in the given fields for me to be in a position to give an accurate target. Without having the correct estimate on the ground as at baseline, it is difficult to give a target.

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  • @Latoh said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    @Cutie said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    I have never worked on unrealistic traget before but in a situation like that, i will make aure i give a genuine reason why the target is unrealistic and give a proper solution to change the target to realistic one.

    That's great

    Sure

  • @LilyB said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was setting targets for the AIMS roll-out. I responded by telling them that I needed accurate data in the given fields for me to be in a position to give an accurate target. Without having the correct estimate on the ground as at baseline, it is difficult to give a target.

    I agree

  • one time i was asked to do unrealistic target which was to make an eye camp campaign on remote area which was too far from my region with very limited fund.
    i responded that the area that i want to make the eye camp project is very far even it is with out local airplane airport and by taking bus takes more hours to reach with expensive cost and the fund is very limited i requested them to revise the fund or even if possible to change the target

  • Once you understand the underlying reasons for any unrealistic targets, you have to go back to your list of indicator to see how you can let go of these goals or correct them. Correcting unrealistic targets is easy by find tuning

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  • It was during a donation to the nursery so I responded by using all the members of the Management Committee to collect additional information based on the effectiveness and efficiency of the tasks that were performed.

  • From the outset, I would like to state that my current work is target oriented. I am required to meet daily targets, weekly, and monthly targets. But of all the three sets of targets, the monthly target is the most tricky one that demands my energy and skills.
    Now, I am required to registered a minimum number of 4 students per month. Imagine convincing someone to pay and start school even at a time they did not plan to. This also pays to my commission as my monthly salary is based on commission.
    Therefore, I set unrealistic but achievable targets of which sometimes I meet and sometimes I do not but on many occasions, I meet my targets. When I aim to registered 8 students in a months, it helps me work harder and register 4 to 6 students in the first two weeks of the month. When I have nothing by the end of the first two weeks of the month, I adjust my targets and work on meeting 4 for the month.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was intern at a hospital were the asked me to be responsible for a document’s flow that usually get longer than its own deadline . I responded by asked my boss if I could change the flow and redesign it in a more efficient way.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .
    I undertake community activities on quality education with CBO.
    Because of the gap in educational quality awareness community had very been supportive. Together with team I am leading we did our workplan that set our target very high. We don't have funds and strong organization institution to support delivery of our set target.
    We achieve very minimal.
    We had to review our plans considerably to progress within our limits.
    My advice is a times we are carried away by our emotion and over ambitiousness to set high target. When planning, look through the lens of been realistic and practical to your capacity. The fact that you have a lot to achieve does not mean everything has to go into high targets within a short period. Targets can be spread over a period of time. By setting target that realistic and practical you will be able to concentrate towards it is achievement, rather than set so much high and achieving nothing

  • Course Facilitator

    When facing an unrealistic target it is in my opinion best to first assess the situation in order for you to be able to address the problem. Sit back and note exactly why you feel that this target is unrealistic. Gather data to support your view then lastly suggest new targets. This way you will be able to show your team your reasoning.

  • i once worked on a project where the targets set where unrealistically too high. the project coordinator called for a meeting and we adjusted the targets basing on what we had been able to achieve the previous year.

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  • one time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was when I was supposed to have 1000 birds on the farm by the end of the first month into the poultry business, yet my capital could not help.
    I responded by reducing the number of birds from 1000 to 600 birds.

  • Unrealistic targets are the those that can't be achieved with Limited resources

  • @MICHAEL3937 said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    I would advice them to sit down and review their targets so they can work under no pressure and will not be suprised with the result if they go down than their unrealistic and ambitious targets.

    Targets are very important for achievements. Realistic targets help a project to go smoothly. It is good to be ambitious but not over ambitious when we set targets. In any case we can go back to revise our targets.

  • I think that all the targets can be achieved in one way or another and if it was difficult so it can be adjusted

  • When being asked to reach unrealistic targets, I discussed with my team and the community members to set the achievable and realistic targets again.

  • We were once asked to set the target of % livebriths attended by skilled health personnel to a high of 90% because it was the national target then. Later did we know that because we were targeting the remotest communities, the baseline for this indicator was around 35%. The target at 90% is unrealistic for a 4 year project that is not addressing all the barriers to facility-based delivery. I recommended the target to be reduced to 70%, and added more interventions to address other barriers that were left out by the project.

  • One time i was asked to start a certain project of distributing female condoms to a population of 1000 youth and it actually needed about 500,000ugx but actually as a group we had only 200,000ugx available.Because we were so ambitious in our targeting,we had to go back to the drawing board and decided to target a lesser population which fits our budget and it really worked for us.

  • @apostledavid58 said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    We used to file monthly report for certain organization that I once worked with and at the beginning of every month the National level would set targets for each province and being at the local level the set target would seem unrealistic due to either the target exceeding the resources at hand or the target not being applicable to the situation at hand..e.g: the target would request that only high school student be included in program by reason of age while we have student of the same age whilst in primary school.

    In AmeriCares foundations, in the framework of our medical attention, we project our objectives according to the technical capacity installed (health staff). In the case of gender violence in migrant women, it is a new issue in Colombia, so we will have to make a baseline, to adjust the objectives to ambitious but real figures

  • setting an unrealistic target is a total waste of not only time and resources, its a waste of energy as well. setting and unrealistic target for your team or your project is like planning to building a duplex on top of the sea when you aware that there is no enough resources to build even a single room on a table land

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    One time that i was ask to reach unrealistic target was when we were doing survey on the number of borehole in the area , i was asked to find out those number within two days .This two days involve traveling ,taking data analyzing the data collected and interpret the data .it was very hand to me but i responded by giving out history of the previous data collected within the said are and giving the management facts on how it was collected and number of days it took them to do the work. Hence i was able to make them understand how the targets was unrealistic.

  • Course Facilitator

    @All learners,Thanks for sharing your experiences with unrealistic targets. Have you ever said yes to an unrealistic target and realized later that it actually hurt the team’s progress?If yes please share your experiences with us on how you were able to manage the situation so that others can learn.

  • One time that i was asked to reach unrealistic target was when my supervisor asked me to compile a data for three years ago of clients who were provided with supplements and have fully recovered from malnutrition in a span of 30 minutes as it was needed by the donor to help in funding for the upcoming projects.I responded by requesting my supervisor to assign three more staffs from other departments to help me in retrieving data from registers.

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  • Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation?
    Yes , reference to the scenario given below.

    What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?
    The learner should immediately escalate the issue to the management and seek for way forward.

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was when I was carrying out a national survey and the target was to reach 25 household in every cluster and at least get entry to all .This was to be done only at day time when natural light is available otherwise at night will be violation of the survey protocol, hence there is this one household where the owner was only available at nights. I responded by escalating the issue to the coordinator that it will be impossible to get that person during day time. Therefore I had to do things unusual to meet the target.

  • I have been given unrealistic targets in the past, with them nearly always being overly ambitious. I find this is generally the result of a lack of understanding of the amount of time logistical implementation and behavioural change takes.
    For me, the most useful way to consider targets is to examine what is possible in one week, and what is probable. Every week will not be a success. So consider what is the most you could achieve, and then a more realistic goal for that week. Generally, when management sets target it is under the assumption that every week will be a successful one, which is just not the case. So, bearing that in mind, lowering expectations at the outset is incredibly important.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    I was asked to develop an implementation plan for field officers who would be in the field for 4 days per week and expected to consolidate their daily report and present the consolidated report to their line manager in that same week. I suggested that we have them do 3 visits per week instead of 4 because in the long run this was unhealthy to the project as fatigue from the field officers would have compromised their work which would have been more damaging than only 3 field visits per week. Sometimes when you are given targets that seem unrealistic it i better to sit and explore alternative options that might have the same or similar results. Always keep in mind that targets might change.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation?

    I have never been asked to reach a high or low target. But, if I have been asked to do so, I would ensure these steps are followed:
    To achieve what I want most, what I need is a SMART goal instead.
    S-M-A-R-T is a set of 5 criteria to help judge whether a goal is good or not. It helps in making better use of one's time and energy, and achieve your goals effectively. Setting a SMART goal is the first step to success. SMART means the following:
    S- Specific goals
    M- Measurable goals
    A- Achievable goals
    R- Realistic goals
    T- Time bound goals.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    I was asked to treat 5 patients in one hour, while I should atted maximum of 3 patients, that target was not realistic, I responded by increasing the time of working inorder to achieve it.

  • One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was while working on a survey as a field monitor. Following administrative delegation and planning prio to kick off, i and my team were assigned to minitor atleast 2 survey teams daily, these survey teams could be in the same region or sometimes more than 50km apart on land or across body of water in remote areas. I was to locate and monitor their activities without the help of a local guide and in some places without GPS mapping.

    I responded by adjusting my daily take off time into the field to as early as 6.30am in the morning to meet my daily targets. I requested GPS location from the survey teams in the field to help me locate my way.
    I also had to make use of indigenous drivers and helmsmen who could navigate the area with less difficulty so as to save time.

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    Being honest, i didnt come across that situation. This is my first project and target which i was given i reached them in time.

  • One time when I was working on a field based cash transfer project, I was asked to set unrealistic targets for my data entry clerks. Each was expected to make 200 entries per day while out there in the field, under makeshift conditions. I had been involved in their training and therefore knew that if I accepted these targets, there would be a lot of errors and thus the data quality would be compromised meaning that eventually some of the beneficiaries would end up not receiving their money either because of spelling errors of their names, missing letters in their identification documents among other common errors.

    Initially we were to be given 3 data entry clerks per team (each county had 10 teams).

    I responded by pointing out what could possibly go wrong and compromise the results and overall achievement of the project. I suggested that we look at the capture numbers per county and then shared with the team from headquarters what we had identified as the minimum time each data entry clerk could spend with a beneficiary. Using that data, we managed to work out the number of clerks per county required for the exercise. As a result, the allocation of data clerks were rationalized and each team ended up with at least 5 data entry clerks.

  • i have never been tasked to work towards an unrealistic target but in a such situation, i would ensure i try working on it and even i dont hit the target as expected, i would present genuine explanation where neccessary

  • Course Facilitator

    having not been in this situation i feel an unrealistic targets are not set based on data review , resources and other related information. an unrealistic targets can at times be low or high which can either make a project successful or unsuccessful.

  • With the knowledge have now learnt and how best one can reach the targets and the best ways to avoid biases, I would try by all means that I look in all the relevant data that is at hand and able to evaluate the data and how to use it especially with the resources am working with so that I reach my demands.

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  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target, it was to support the development of annual communication plans for vaccination without first conducting socio-anthropological surveys in the communities targeted by the plans. to elaborate. I responded by saying that the logical framework of these plans would not be based on any evidence and that the project ran to failure. I suggested that the surveys be carried out beforehand and that the results of these surveys be used to draw up the plans.

  • @DoclorrysinclaireSakala said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    With the knowledge have now learnt and how best one can reach the targets and the best ways to avoid biases, I would try by all means that I look in all the relevant data that is at hand and able to evaluate the data and how to use it especially with the resources am working with so that I reach my demands.

    Good analysis. can you share your experience on an unrealistic target that you were asked to reach as part of a project

  • @Dorcas995 said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that i was asked to reach unrealistic target was when my supervisor asked me to compile a data for three years ago of clients who were provided with supplements and have fully recovered from malnutrition in a span of 30 minutes as it was needed by the donor to help in funding for the upcoming projects.I responded by requesting my supervisor to assign three more staffs from other departments to help me in retrieving data from registers.

    It seemed unrealistic. you had good arguments for answering

  • @OGBECHE said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    setting an unrealistic target is a total waste of not only time and resources, its a waste of energy as well. setting and unrealistic target for your team or your project is like planning to building a duplex on top of the sea when you aware that there is no enough resources to build even a single room on a table land

    I totally agree

  • it is very obvious that in one of the project we will have unrealistic targets, once in my company we had to screen a thousands of community members in just 2 days, and we were unable to reach that target because the time frame was small and not every community member knew about the campaigns, time it was taking pace etc so it was hard to get to our target.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was when we were developing our performance Management Framework for a regional project on accountability of African states to deliver effective SRHR services including national budgets to Women and Girls. I responded by stating that we would only set targets for the 6 Women Rights Organizations that we were directly working with, then set realistic targets for only the 6 countries that we had direct engagement with.

  • I remembered in 2016, my line manager asked me to ensure we have 70 new admissions of SAM cases ( malnutrition) at our OTP in Baga town, kukawa LGA, Borno state, Nigeria 🇳🇬, I knew right on the spot is impossible, due security situation, affecting patients flow, shortage of manpower to achieve it, distance coverage for our patients to reach OTP due to socioeconomic status, lack of fast means of transport for them. The solution is setting more OTP sites, recruitment of more manpower

  • My manner of response was
    negotiation with the parties involved. The situation was an examination at hand and inability to finish a particular course lectures within a week before exams.
    I spoke to my coursemates about sacrificing their time to spend longer hours for the lectures because the lecturer was willing to drop the lecture handouts without coming for subseqent lectures.
    When there is an undertasking or overtasking, negotiation through dialogue is key to maintaining timelines.

  • That a target is unrealistic implies that it does not fit into the SMART principles and as such, it will amount to a waste of time and resources since impact and outcome cannot be measured

  • When given an unrealistic target. It is best to explain to the team the state of things. You explain by providing facts and figures gotten from past data,generated data or from history.

    People acquiesce better when you provide solid research.

  • yes i was given a unrealistic target to mapped out all the religious leaders with their churches and mosques of the district for community engagement on Girls Access to Education project (GATE). It was an unrealistic target because the time set to complete the target was not realistic, therefore i was having issue with the time given to me . My intervention was to requested for the extension of the time from three days to a week so that i could be able to complete the target. My advice is whenever your are given realistic or unrealistic targets, you should first asses the time allocated to the task as against the resources and time allocated for the completion of targets. I believe time and resources are key determinant factors for an unrealistic targets.

  • One time i was asked to each an unrealistic target of participants within a very short time for an awareness program my organization was holding, I responded by speaking to the management detailing how unrealistic this within the short period, and how we would end up not achieving our goal. The event was later postponed and we were able to achieve our target.

  • Course Facilitator

    Module 3 officially opens today. We have had wonderful times with Modules 1 and 2. Let us keep up the tempo. Our assignments and discussions should be attended to on time. If you have any issues, please feel free to ask your questions on this platform or you can contact any of your Course Ambassadors. We are here to help you.

  • Targets are very important in any project, without any target means we are driving a car but we dont know where we have to go or reach. Before starting any project we have to set our targets and their dead lines.

  • Plan. Do. Check. Akt. Same with goals/targets. We wouldn't be talking here about realistics having proper skills, would we?;)

  • I had that experience when I was in the bank. Because of my experince and previous performance, my then area manager gave me a target far above my level. Though within myself I was not happy, but I did not show it and accepted it in good faith and immediately to work on it. It was a challenge and worked hard to achieve high percentage of i.

  • @Course_Operations said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 3.

    Setting ambitious yet achievable targets can be difficult. Have you ever been asked to reach a target that was either too high or too low? How did you respond to the situation? What advice would you offer other learners who may be asked to work towards unrealistic targets?

    Sample Post: One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was ______ . I responded by ______ .

    While I worked at a medical centre for diabetes and endocrine disorders we were approached by a well known food company who intended to introduce sugarfree chocolates in the market. They chose to test the product on Type1 Adult diabetic individuals for increase in blood sugar levels. This is a rare niche and in the past 35 years of the centres existence I had traced just 20 such individuals. The company wanted at least 18 to show significance. It was unrealistic and despite advertising in the papers, I knew we would never get to that figure.

    I took up the challenge nevertheless and managed 12 study participants who followed up until the end of the study period.

    I would say, one must be optimistic and not give up, but at the same time be realistic and keep a deadline. I could have gone on for years trying to get to the target, but that would be meaningless.

  • Make adjustment on the target
    Have the baseline data necessary to the project

  • One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was which was cleaning an area in my local government of attachment, the target was too ambitious and unrealistic. I responded by by telling my project coordinator that I will need more hand on deck to clear the potion of field.

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  • I don't have such experience but in those type of situation we can assess the surrounding conditions, review grey literature and take experts opinion to set the proper target. Unrealistic target does not give the project staff a hope. If once you set a realistic target and achieve it the project staffs also will be motivated and confidence level of the leader will be improved.

    K
    1 Reply
  • After reading what others have posted, I am not go far from their responses.

    If you are askes to set an unrearistic target you have to prove it with evidences like Baseline, reports and convince the other sise by giving tangible evidences.

  • Our project had unrealistic targets about beekeepers' income increases, but did not have appropriate MEL to actually collect data on income. Ultimately, we had to use honey yield increases and honey price increases to demonstrate project success instead.

    K
    2 Replies
  • One time that my team was asked to reach unrealistic target was in June 2018, to monitor 4 construction(primary school) projects in different rural communities, which were only accessible by water, and to submit report in 3 days. We were a team of 3, coupled with the volume of data to be collected and analyzed, and the difficulty of riverine transportation makes the 3 day reporting period unrealistic. The team met with our supervisor and marshaled our reasons why it was unrealistic. The team adviced that either 4 teams be constituted, a team for each project or the reporting period be 7 days. This will enable the team work at its capacity and velocity and turn in quality report.

    1 Reply
  • @darcygray said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    Our project had unrealistic targets about beekeepers' income increases, but did not have appropriate MEL to actually collect data on income. Ultimately, we had to use honey yield increases and honey price increases to demonstrate project success instead.

    @darcygray Please share with us the Beekeeper's income target and how unrealistic achieving it

  • I had a bad experience by setting unrealistic targets. We want to launch a new product in Bakeries, but before, we did a pilot project in one Bakery during 6 months, and our Top Management had settled as a target to delivere the new branch to the other bakeries after 6 months. Although we are not in conditions to do that, so after 6 months we cancelled the project and review our Plan and informed the new Target.
    From that we learned that we were ambitious, because we want to spread the new product as quickly as possible markteweise, and didnt expected that the customers adhered the product and increased the demand.

  • @DhirendraNath said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    I don't have such experience but in those type of situation we can assess the surrounding conditions, review grey literature and take experts opinion to set the proper target. Unrealistic target does not give the project staff a hope. If once you set a realistic target and achieve it the project staffs also will be motivated and confidence level of the leader will be improved.

    @DhirendraNath I appreciate your point of view. However, a target is unrealistic because it is beyond your capacity and velocity to achieve so, how can"assess the surrounding conditions, review grey literature and take expert opinion" make the target realistic?

    1 Reply
  • One time we needed to set a target for indicator that measure online multimedia elements in publications. So, we conducted an experiment to set a target. We count all multimedia elements in all related online publications, then we can set a realistic target.

    D
    1 Reply
  • Course Facilitator

    The discussion platform is alive, no doubt. Please let us make contributions that will deepen the knowledge of other learners as we are here to learn from each other's experiences apart from the knowledge acquired here.

  • Course Facilitator

    @zheenbekovb said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    online

    What kind of target? Which Kind of indicator(s)?

  • Once I joined the project and found that they had had the targets of developing a strategy in one year. This target was to be approved by the Parliament which we did control on their agenda.

  • Course Facilitator

    Its good to see that people are really active
    Thumbs up to you all.
    Lets keep the pace
    .............................................................................................................................Happy learning

  • Course Facilitator

    @keme said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that my team was asked to reach unrealistic target was in June 2018, to monitor 4 construction(primary school) projects in different rural communities, which were only accessible by water, and to submit report in 3 days. We were a team of 3, coupled with the volume of data to be collected and analyzed, and the difficulty of riverine transportation makes the 3 day reporting period unrealistic. The team met with our supervisor and marshaled our reasons why it was unrealistic. The team adviced that either 4 teams be constituted, a team for each project or the reporting period be 7 days. This will enable the team work at its capacity and velocity and turn in quality report.

    Wowww Nice one
    Once you identify an unrealistic target it is always good to give feedback to the people in charge so as to avoid poor results or no results at all
    Thanks @keme for sharing this with us
    ..............................................................................................................................................................................Happy learning

  • I was asked to achieve 85% hand washing with clean water and soap in the second implementation year of a five year WASH Project in a rural community that suffered water stress through out the year. I responded by requesting the project manager that we start with a lower target and progressively revise it especially given the fact that the first half of the project was to focus on WASH infrastructure. High targets on the behavioural indicators were to be considered in the second half of the project since it focused more on behavioural change and adaptability.

    1 Reply
  • Course Facilitator

    @Skaliyetu said in Module 3 Discussion: Unrealistic Targets:

    One time that I was asked to reach an unrealistic target was which was cleaning an area in my local government of attachment, the target was too ambitious and unrealistic. I responded by by telling my project coordinator that I will need more hand on deck to clear the potion of field.

    @Skaliyetu thanks for sharing with us
    So did you receive the extra hands needed?
    and if Yes how good was final output of the project please do share with us
    ......................................................................................................................................................................................Happy learning

    2 Replies
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