Sometimes the manager is the blocker and sometimes you just have to tell them. "Do your job better" probably won't go down well, but asking for clarification on issues/tasks you need...clarified usually isn't a problem.
Sometimes you do have to help managers help you, and that's fine. But better for the IC if the IC brings it up before it's something showing up on a velocity chart...
This also assumes that the manager isn't the blocker. Replying "Do your job better" probably wouldn't go down very well.