Questions

An Ishi is a decision. Wanting creates no obligation; Ishi is the moment vague intent sharpens into a decision, with a time horizon, boundaries and the conditions for stopping written down in advance.

PDSA is designed to improve systems through repeated tests and measurement inside an organisation. OODA is built for tactical engagement against an adversary in a shifting environment. The Ishi Spiral was developed for self-governance of intent under sustained pressure.

In practice the 4 phases run concurrently, and the authority of governance moves from phase to phase. One condition does sequence: the authority to persist must derive from a prior decision.

Handwriting is slow, and the slowness makes the commitment visible. Typed intent is easy to revise, copy and bury.

Each phase draws on established research and practice in decision-making, deliberate practice, endurance and reflective learning. The Spiral is offered as a hypothesis, intended to be tested through use rather than accepted on authority.

Each term compresses discipline, restraint and expectation into a single word. Gaman, for example, names restrained endurance: persisting within the limits you set.