Top down, bottom up, a manager's role with regards to (an) agile team(s) may have them left confused.Lyssa Atkins writes us a nice piece about that.

A friend and i were having a discussion about this. He was spending some time during the 'final moments' of a sprint helping out a team directly.

I asked:Why were you doing this work for them?

Unfortunately, as with most things i ask, they see right through me and begin to get a little defensive, but the reason comes out and i'll paraphrase:

"I'm in charge of making sure this doesn't fail"

So his boss "Doesn't get it".

or maybe doesn't get this

or maybe doesn't get this

or maybe this either

Mike Vizdos gives us a little lesson about supporting a bottom up in two of his cartoons.

http://www.implementingscrum.com/blog/2007/10/15/the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/

and

http://www.implementingscrum.com/blog/2007/10/30/combo-packing/

Many people i show the first cartoon to probably quietly say "O my god, that's James".

Read the whole blog, read it again, then ask yourself. Am i in a bad bottom up?

Ok... are you?

AND (classic mike vizdos)

 what are YOU (individually) going to do about it? (Remember, art of the possible)

AND

what is your team going to do?