IBM Rational Manual Tester is the tool that testing staffs have been waiting for to address the problems listed above and make management of manual test scripts simple and straightforward. It doesn't take much hands-on experience with Manual Tester to prompt a tester to ask, "Why use Excel any longer for manual test scripts?" Manual Tester is easy to learn (allow about an hour and a half) due to the detailed tutorials that come with the tool, the tool's smart design, and the intelligence of its user interface.

The best thing about using this tool to manage manual testing is that the test scripts created by multiple testers will all follow the same standards. Here are the capabilities of Manual Tester that lead to standardization in scripts:

• Displays and prints standard icons identifying script lines by type (script step, verification point, reportable point, or group of steps).
• Allows the reuse of script steps or groups of steps among different scripts.
• Allows easy grouping of steps, which makes grouping an easily enforceable organizational standard.
• Associates script lines with standard sets of tester-defined properties, such as Name, Compare Data, and links to attachments (which can opened within Manual Tester).
• Provides an interface that enforces standardized expected results (for example, "inconclusive," "pass," "fail," "error") during execution of scripts.
• Allows for standardized comparisons of data during execution of scripts.
• Allows the test team to select font and color for the text of script steps.