A CIO must determine if IT staff have adequate skills to deliver on key strategic objectives. Which of the following will provide the MOST useful information?

Employee performance metrics assess past or current performance against individual goals, but they may not directly indicate the presence or absence of skills required for *new strategic objectives*.

Project risk reports identify potential issues that could derail projects, which might be related to skill deficiencies, but they don't provide a comprehensive view of overall staff skill adequacy for strategic objectives.

A gap analysis directly identifies the discrepancy between the current skill sets of the IT staff and the skills required to achieve key strategic objectives. This provides specific, actionable insights into areas where training, recruitment, or development are needed to close those gaps.

Training program statistics show participation or completion rates but do not necessarily measure the effectiveness of training or identify skill deficiencies across the entire staff relevant to strategic goals.