What is the task assignment wheel?
The task assignment wheel is a free online spinner loaded with 6 starter entries, such as Write report, Review PR, Update docs, Client call. You can change every slice, add your own items, set odds and keep a record of each result. People also search for it as “random task picker”, “assign tasks randomly”.
A hidden random generator only gives you an answer. This wheel shows every option and the spin itself, so the group can see nobody picked the result by hand.
How to use the task assignment wheel
Make the list yours
Type over the examples, add new lines, or remove what you don't need. Your changes save automatically.
Choose your settings
Set the spin duration and palette, and decide whether winners are removed, counted or drawn several at a time.
Spin the wheel
Hit the big blue button. The wheel ticks, slows and stops, and the result pops up with a receipt code.
Ways to use the task assignment wheel
Rotating on-call
Pick who covers.
Support queues
Assign tickets randomly.
Household admin
Split bills and calls.
Volunteer groups
Allocate duties.
Tips for the task assignment wheel
- Only randomise tasks of similar effort.
- Export History for accountability.
- Use weights for availability.
Which tasks suit random assignment
Random assignment works best for tasks that are roughly equal in effort and don't require specialist skills: code reviews within a qualified pool, rotating support duties, writing documentation, testing a release, updating a status report, client follow-up calls, or office chores. Tasks that depend on expertise, development goals or current workload should be assigned deliberately. A good rule is to use judgement to decide who is eligible, then let the wheel choose among eligible people.
Two ways to use the wheel
Spin people for a task: load team members' names and spin to decide who takes the next task. Spin tasks for a person: load the tasks and let each person spin for theirs. Use automatic removal so each task goes to one person. The second approach works well for sprint planning when a set of similar tickets needs owners.
Balancing workload
Turn on Fair Rotation so people who received tasks recently are less likely to be chosen again. Add a cooldown for unpopular tasks. Use weights to reflect capacity: a part-time colleague might have weight 1 while full-time colleagues have weight 2. Check the percentage column so everyone understands the odds.
Transparency builds trust
Spin in a shared meeting or on screen, so the team sees the process. Explain the eligibility rules and any weights. Keep the history visible, and export it monthly. Teams that can see how tasks are allocated complain far less about fairness.
Handling conflicts
If someone is assigned a task they can't do because of leave, a conflict or a skills gap, let them swap with a willing colleague rather than re-spinning, and note the swap. Re-spinning to get a preferred result undermines the whole system.
Agile teams
In sprint planning, spin owners for small, interchangeable tasks such as bug fixes, test writing and documentation, and assign complex work through discussion. Spin a reviewer for each pull request to spread knowledge across the codebase. Spin a "sprint hero" who handles interruptions so others can focus.
Freelancers and small businesses
Even solo workers can use the wheel: load the week's small tasks and spin the order you'll tackle them. It beats procrastinating over which dull task to start first.
Households and clubs
The same approach works for volunteer rotas, sports club duties and shared house tasks.
Example
A support team spins who takes the "triage" role each day. With Fair Rotation and a two-day cooldown, the duty is spread evenly and nobody has to keep a spreadsheet.
Measuring the result
After a month, look at the exported history alongside how people feel about workload. If one person still feels overloaded, adjust weights or eligibility rather than abandoning the wheel. The goal is a system the whole team trusts, and small tweaks based on real data get you there.
Introducing the wheel to a team
Start small. Pick one recurring task that causes mild friction, such as writing meeting notes or covering the shared inbox, and use the wheel for that alone for a month. Explain the eligibility rules, the use of Fair Rotation and the swap policy at the start. At the end of the month, ask the team whether it felt fairer. Most teams quickly extend it to other tasks once they see it working.
Task assignment wheel features
Fair rotas
Fair Rotation and History help share duties evenly across a team.
Odds you control
Change any entry's weight and its slice resizes to match its chance.
No-repeat and multi-winner
Remove winners automatically, or draw a whole set in one round.
Images, colours, sound
Pictures on slices, custom colours, tick and fanfare sounds.
Share, fullscreen, OBS
Send a link, project it, or put it on stream as an overlay.
History and receipts
Every spin is logged with a time and code. Export it to CSV.
Odds on the task assignment wheel
With equal weights each of the 6 entries has a 16.7% chance on every spin. Change a weight and that entry's chance becomes its weight divided by the total. Elimination removes winners and recalculates the odds for the rest. Test any setup on the randomness audit.
Task assignment wheel FAQs
Should every task be random?
No. Randomise fair, comparable tasks only.
Can I export assignments?
Export History to CSV.
Free?
Yes.
Is the task assignment wheel free?
Yes. The task assignment wheel on WheelSpinner is free, with no sign-up or entry limit.
Is the task assignment wheel truly random?
Each spin uses your browser's cryptographic random number generator, so with equal weights every visible entry has the same chance.
Can I save and share my task assignment wheel?
Entries save automatically in this browser, and Share copies a link with your list included.