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| Dang Phuoc Toan (far right), along with his colleagues |
Leadership Pressure Paves the Way for Initiative
I met the young businessman Dang Phuoc Toan, founder and Chairman of the Board of NextGen Digital Technology JSC and co-initiator of the real-time management platform, when CheckNow won Third Prize at the 2025 National Startup Project Development Program finals.
Originally trained as an engineer in bridge and road engineering, and having earned a master’s degree in South Korea, he quickly developed the habit of viewing challenges through data and process. That foundation enabled Mr. Toan and his colleagues at NextGen to build and develop CheckNow into an effective, data-driven management tool.
Before launching CheckNow, Mr. Dang Phuoc Toan spent over a decade working as a manager in the construction sector at a joint-stock company, becoming familiar with sprawling job sites, large workforces, and constant fluctuations. During this period, he also established Nam Hai Group Co., Ltd., which operates in design, construction, and project management, to gain firsthand as a leader and accumulate hands-on expertise in business administration.
In the process, the shortcomings of traditional management became increasingly apparent: paper-based timekeeping, delayed reporting, disputes over working hours, and mounting operational bottlenecks whenever the number of projects grew. Those experiences became a form of “lived capital,” deepening Mr. Toan’s understanding of the challenges of workforce management, work hours, and productivity on construction sites.
“At that time, every morning I had to call one construction site after another to ask how many workers had shown up, how much work had been completed, whether materials were sufficient or running short… It took a lot of time, yet the information remained fragmented,” shared Mr. Toan.
That pressure, combined with his passion for technology, led Mr. Toan conceive the idea of building a transparent, real-time management software solution. He began assembling a team of collaborators, deepening his research into software, tracking digital transformation trends in the construction sector, and documenting the daily “bottlenecks” he encountered. By connecting these concerns with his research, the question of whether real-time data could replace manual methods for tracking labor and work gradually found its answer.
While running Nam Hai Group Co. Ltd., Mr. Dang Phuoc Toan and his team of collaborators steadily resolved the challenges that arose during the platform’s development. “Nam Hai was our “laboratory”. We tested every step, from timekeeping and shift assignment to productivity reporting. If the technical team, accountants, or workers weren’t satisfied, we went back and did it again,” said Mr. Toan.
Initially launched as a GPS- and QR-based timekeeping application, the platform was later expanded by Mr. Toan and his team into a comprehensive management ecosystem, encompassing human resources, shift scheduling, payroll, performance tracking, asset and materials management, machine scheduling, and workforce recruitment.
After initially operating as an internal pilot at Nam Hai, for over a year, CheckNow has officially rolled out the platform and has been adopted by numerous businesses in construction and infrastructure across provinces and cities nationwide, with thousands of app downloads.
A Useful Digital Assistant
One of the outstanding new features that has made various businesses find the CheckNow platform developed by Mr. Toan and his colleagues more convenient to use is the tangible value and the transparency it delivers.
CheckNow is built as a digital assistant that helps construction and manufacturing enterprises address common challenges such as difficulty tracking progress, timekeeping errors, material losses, and budget overruns. Instead of relying on time clocks and manual paperwork, businesses now need only a smartphone to manage projects, personnel, work shifts, materials, assets, and recruitment on a single platform. The system can also integrate AI, GPS positioning, and facial recognition (Face ID) to enhance accuracy and transparency. Data are updated in real time, enabling business owners to obtain an immediate, comprehensive view of operations whenever needed. In addition, the platform can automatically compile reports, helping enterprises reduce operating costs.
Mr. Nguyen Van Lam, Director of Song Lam Interior Company Limited in An Cuu Ward, a firm currently using the CheckNow platform, said that in the past, the company’s management team spent considerable time compiling worker lists, tracking attendance, and processing progress reports. Since adopting CheckNow, operations have become far more convenient, timekeeping errors have been virtually eliminated, and the company has saved time while maintaining better control over project schedules. “We plan to further utilize features for materials and equipment management, as well as recruitment connectivity within the CheckNow ecosystem, to support our management and operations in the coming period,” he added.
From an expert perspective, Mr. Ly Dinh Quan, Vice Chairman of the National Advisory Council for Innovative Startups, noted that CheckNow’s highlight lies in how its founding team, coming from the construction sector, identified real-world problems and persistently transformed them into a solution tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises. The project’s strength stems from its deep understanding of customers and its user-friendly approach, enabling smaller firms with limited technological expertise to use it easily for tasks such as timekeeping, human resource management, and workforce coordination. “If the team maintains its trust, passion for the profession, and perseverance in supporting small businesses’ access to technology, the project will go far, not only in construction but also expanding into various other service and manufacturing fields”, Mr. Quan affirmed.
Sharing about his “brainchild”, young businessman Dang Phuoc Toan said he aims to contribute to business development through technical capability, management expertise, and an innovative mindset. At the same time, he seeks to build application platforms that support digital transformation in the construction and education sectors, creating added value for society and the business community.
In the final days of the year, as the city brims with the colors of spring, my conversation with young businessman Dang Phuoc Toan offered a different kind of “spring hue”: a spring of innovation, of digitized workflows, and of private enterprises steadily raising governance standards to grow to their full potential. Stories like these are nurturing confidence in a new generation of Hue entrepreneurs, bold in thinking and action, and capable of aligning personal aspirations with the city’s broader development goals in a new phase.