Whats the best way to write - "its a start"

I just got a link to a survey about the recent “retreat” from the department I work for that just completed a 2 year long system wide reorganization.

The retreat could be called a “baseline” for the metrics of department trust and culture.

The fact that there was a retreat that was casual dress was a big start.

Pictured - Where we are in the project of trusting each other and enjoying our culture.

When I started here the culture was “I can’t tell you to give all 5 star reviews on the annual survey...but we always do.” and not much has changed so Im trying to be tactful, but accurate.