Bosses have been around ever since caveman A told caveman B what to do and when. Over the centuries we have continually refined and defined the art of managing others, especially in work-related situations. From a cavestyle grunt to today's corporate directive, we are becoming more proficient in perfecting the roles of managers in our workplace.

Managers, who have been the guiding force in business, industry, nonprofits and government, have also been known as bosses, executives, department heads, vice presidents, supervisors, middle managers, administrators, directors and more. There have been management styles from free-wheeling to restrictive, and enough written and discussed do's and don'ts to confuse everybody.

In addition, too many workers were promoted to management positions without proper training, guidelines, goals and ability to communicate, and immediately gave credence to the Peter Principle by rising to their levels of incompetence.

But management has had to get its act together and make some drastic changes. Layer upon layer of management that were the cornerstone of the workplace in the 1960s, 1970s and the first half of the 1980s, began to be stripped away by the 1990s, due in large part to the competition of an increasing global economy as well as advancing technology.

The decade leading up to the year 2000 was brutal for corporate downsizing, but burgeoning with an expanding service economy. Companies went global and computer technology gave us the Internet. To stay competitive, employers started looking for managers who were trained to manage, communicate and make purposeful decisions that would enhance the operation and add to the bottom line.

Most business authors and gurus agree that the best manager is the professional who can control, deploy and use resources. Whether it's people, time management, facilities, materials, information or finances, these professionals must have a tight grasp on the whole picture as well as each of its parts. In this career report, you will learn about careers in project management - an old concept with a brand new face in a new economy and a new century.