The quiet moment before the wheel decides

It was the last few minutes before our sprint planning kicked off. The air was thick with that familiar, low-grade tension about who would take on which tasks. You could see people mentally preparing their cases, or bracing for a debate they didn't really want to have.

Letting go of the debate

I remember setting up the wheel on the shared screen, the cursor hovering over the spin button. We'd listed out the core tasks that needed owners, the ones that always seemed to cause a subtle shuffle. There was a collective, almost physical, release of breath when I explained we'd just let the wheel pick for these.It wasn't about avoiding responsibility. It was about removing the unspoken negotiation, the slight feeling that someone might be getting a better or worse deal. The conversation shifted from "who should" to "what's next," which felt so much lighter.

The relief of an impartial choice

When the wheel landed on the first name, there was a brief silence, then a nod. No arguments, no justifications needed. It was just the outcome. I watched shoulders relax around the virtual meeting room.That small moment of relief was palpable. The decision was made, and it was made by something that held no bias. It freed us from having to police fairness ourselves, which is a weight you don't realize you're carrying until it's gone.

What went on the wheel

We only put the ambiguous items there, the ones without a clear technical owner. The foundational, non-negotiable work for specific roles stayed off it.

After the spin

The rest of the planning flowed. With those tricky assignments settled, the team could focus their energy on brainstorming the *how*, not debating the *who*. It created a cleaner, more collaborative starting line.