docs: add reader path flowchart

[Hinotoi-agent]

Summary

• Adds an assets/images/apts-reader-flow.svg role-based reader path flowchart
• Adds a Choose Your APTS Path section to the top-level README
• Adds the same orientation section to standard/Getting_Started.md with a Markdown fallback table

Why

APTS serves several audiences with different goals: platform builders, enterprise teams, procurement leaders, reviewers, and contributors. A visual reader path helps first-time users choose the shortest route through the standard without changing any normative requirements.

Affected sections

• README.md
• standard/Getting_Started.md
• assets/images/apts-reader-flow.svg

Contributing.md checklist

• No separate issue is linked; this is a focused documentation/orientation improvement
• Checked open PRs/issues and did not find an overlapping reader-path or flowchart proposal
• Formatting checked with git diff --check
• Touched relative Markdown links were verified locally
• SVG XML was parsed locally to confirm it is well-formed
• This change is informative/non-normative and does not alter requirement counts or tier definitions
• Drafted with assistance from Hermes Agent; reviewed before submission

[jinsonvarghese]

Thanks for the contribution, @Hinotoi-agent. The SVG flowchart is well-built (proper accessibility attributes, clean layout, all link targets verified), and the 4-column role-path table adds useful depth over what we currently have. A few structural changes are needed before this can merge:

1. Remove all changes from Getting_Started.md (needed)
   Getting_Started.md already has a carefully sequenced reading order (Steps 1 through 6) that guides readers from the Introduction through the Glossary, Checklists, Cross-Domain Dependencies, and into role-specific domain paths in Step 4 (7 personas with domain-level granularity) and Step 6 (role-specific application guidance). Adding another routing table at the top short-circuits this flow and sends readers to documents like Checklists or the Vendor Evaluation Guide before they have the context from Steps 1-3 to use them effectively. The flowchart and table should live in the README only.
2. Replace the existing "Quick Start: Where to Begin" table with your table, with revisions (needed)
   Your 4-column format (Role / Start with / Then use / Outcome) is an improvement over the existing 2-column Quick Start, which only tells readers where to start but not the full reading path or expected outcome. However, both your table and the existing one share the same problem: they send readers directly to complex documents (Checklists, Vendor Evaluation Guide) without first directing them through the Introduction and Glossary. A vendor landing on the Checklists page without knowing what tiers or domains are will be lost.

Replace the existing "Quick Start: Where to Begin" section with the following revised version that ensures every path starts with orientation:

Role	Start with	Then use	Outcome
New to APTS	Introduction, Glossary	Getting Started guide	Understand the framework and scope
Vendor or platform builder	Introduction, then Checklists for target tier	Domain READMEs, Implementation Guides, Conformance Claim Template, Evidence Package Manifest	Documented conformance and evidence package
Enterprise internal team	Introduction, then Getting Started	Core domains (SE, SC, HO, AR), templates	Internal governance baseline
CISO or procurement lead	Introduction, then Vendor Evaluation Guide	Evidence Request Checklist, Evidence Package Manifest, conformance claim	Vendor evaluation decision
Security reviewer or auditor	Introduction, then claimed tier and Checklists	Domain verification sections, Customer Acceptance Testing	Independent review findings
Contributor	CONTRIBUTING.md	Existing issues and PRs	Small, reviewable PR

3. Reposition the SVG flowchart (needed)
   Move the flowchart from the top of the README (before "What is OWASP APTS?") to directly above the revised Quick Start table. A reader needs to know what APTS is, the 8 domains, and the tier structure before a role-routing diagram is useful. At its current position, the flowchart is the first thing a visitor sees with no context. Placing it just above the Quick Start table lets the visual and the table reinforce each other. The SVG should also be updated to reflect the revised reading paths (starting with Introduction).
4. SVG links are non-functional on GitHub (informational)
   When embedded via ![](image.svg), GitHub renders the SVG as an <img> tag, which strips all <a href> links. The clickable cards in the flowchart will not work when viewed through the README. This is fine since the Quick Start table below provides the actual clickable navigation, but worth being aware of.

[Hinotoi-agent]

Thanks — addressed in 06ad107.

Changes made:

• Removed the reader-path additions from standard/Getting_Started.md; the PR diff now leaves that file unchanged against main.
• Moved the flowchart into the README Quick Start: Where to Begin section, after the overview/domain/tier context.
• Replaced the existing Quick Start table with the revised 4-column role path table.
• Updated the table and SVG so role paths begin with orientation material before role-specific documents.
• Removed SVG <a> links/link styling since GitHub renders the embedded SVG as an image and the table now provides the clickable navigation.

Validation run:

• SVG XML OK
• Markdown links OK
• SVG links OK: 0
• git diff --check
• visual SVG check for clipping/overlap/readability passed

[jinsonvarghese]

All four items addressed cleanly. Verified:

• Getting_Started.md changes removed
• SVG repositioned inside the Quick Start section, after framework context
• Old 2-column table replaced with the 4-column orientation-first version
• Non-functional SVG hyperlinks stripped
• SVG role cards updated to start with "Read orientation / Intro + Glossary"
• All relative links verified

Approving. Nice work on the quick turnaround, @Hinotoi-agent.