ISO 9001:2008 and discusses the requirements as they relate to each product category. Where appropriate, it elaborates on why the requirements are important. It includes a list of typical audit-type questions that an organization may use to appraise compliance with the requirements.

New in this third edition are recommendations for implementation. While some implementation guidance was provided in earlier editions, they had focused on achieving understanding of the requirements. Each clause now has a section on tips for implementation. There is also a completely new chapter devoted to the implementation of a quality management system, as well as new chapters on auditing the process-based quality management system and sector applications.