diff --git a/src/components/tl/nccl/tl_nccl_coll.c b/src/components/tl/nccl/tl_nccl_coll.c
index fdb1ade4a0..8a225c268b 100644
--- a/src/components/tl/nccl/tl_nccl_coll.c
+++ b/src/components/tl/nccl/tl_nccl_coll.c
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@ ucc_status_t ucc_tl_nccl_init_task(ucc_base_coll_args_t *coll_args,
                                                       ucc_tl_nccl_context_t);
     ucc_tl_nccl_task_t    *task;
     ucc_status_t           status;
+    ucc_coll_progress_fn_t progress_fn;
 
     if (!ucc_coll_args_is_predefined_dt(&coll_args->args, team->params.rank)) {
         tl_error(team->context->lib,
@@ -147,11 +148,13 @@ ucc_status_t ucc_tl_nccl_init_task(ucc_base_coll_args_t *coll_args,
         tl_error(team->context->lib, "failed to get task from mpool");
         return UCC_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
     }
+    progress_fn = task->super.progress;
 
     ucc_coll_task_init(&task->super, coll_args, team);
     UCC_TL_NCCL_PROFILE_REQUEST_NEW(task, "tl_nccl_task", 0);
     task->super.finalize           = ucc_tl_nccl_coll_finalize;
     task->super.triggered_post     = ucc_tl_nccl_triggered_post;
+    task->super.progress           = progress_fn;
     task->completed                = NULL;
     if (nccl_ctx->cfg.sync_type == UCC_TL_NCCL_COMPLETION_SYNC_TYPE_EVENT) {
         status = ucc_ec_create_event(&task->completed, UCC_EE_CUDA_STREAM);
diff --git a/src/core/ucc_coll.c b/src/core/ucc_coll.c
index 783b60abce..8cf3658570 100644
--- a/src/core/ucc_coll.c
+++ b/src/core/ucc_coll.c
@@ -197,10 +197,9 @@ UCC_CORE_PROFILE_FUNC(ucc_status_t, ucc_collective_init,
             memcpy(&op_args.args, coll_args, sizeof(ucc_coll_args_t));
             op_args.team = team;
             op_args.args.flags = 0;
-            UCC_COPY_PARAM_BY_FIELD(&op_args.args, coll_args, UCC_COLL_ARGS_FIELD_FLAGS,
-                                    flags);
+            UCC_COPY_PARAM_BY_FIELD(&op_args.args, coll_args,
+                                    UCC_COLL_ARGS_FIELD_FLAGS, flags);
             ucc_coll_task_init(task, &op_args, NULL);
-            *request = &task->super;
             goto print_trace;
         }
     }
@@ -278,9 +277,9 @@ UCC_CORE_PROFILE_FUNC(ucc_status_t, ucc_collective_init,
     task->seq_num = team->seq_num++;
 
     ucc_assert(task->super.status == UCC_OPERATION_INITIALIZED);
-    *request = &task->super;
 
 print_trace:
+    *request = &task->super;
     if (ucc_global_config.coll_trace.log_level >= UCC_LOG_LEVEL_DIAG) {
         char coll_str[256];
         ucc_coll_str(task, coll_str, sizeof(coll_str),
@@ -329,6 +328,7 @@ UCC_CORE_PROFILE_FUNC(ucc_status_t, ucc_collective_post, (request),
     ucc_status_t status;
 
     if (ucc_global_config.coll_trace.log_level >= UCC_LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG) {
+        /* team is NULL if task is a dummy task, e.g. collective of zero size */
         if (task->team) {
             ucc_rank_t rank = task->team->params.team->rank;
             if (ucc_global_config.coll_trace.log_level == UCC_LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG) {
diff --git a/src/schedule/ucc_schedule.c b/src/schedule/ucc_schedule.c
index bc4702a999..777b9c6b39 100644
--- a/src/schedule/ucc_schedule.c
+++ b/src/schedule/ucc_schedule.c
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ ucc_status_t ucc_dummy_finalize(ucc_coll_task_t *task)
 void ucc_dummy_progress(ucc_coll_task_t *task)
 {
     /* this function should never be called */
-    ucc_assert(0);
+    ucc_assert_always(0);
 }
 
 ucc_status_t ucc_coll_task_init(ucc_coll_task_t *task,