diff --git a/common/monitor/progress.go b/common/monitor/progress.go
index 9e2c032a7..23a97cffa 100644
--- a/common/monitor/progress.go
+++ b/common/monitor/progress.go
@@ -150,10 +150,15 @@ func (s *Span) Progress() Progress {
 	parentTotal := s.total * childTotal
 	parentCount := s.count * childTotal
 	for _, child := range children {
-		// avoid divide by zero
+		// children only contains Running children (Complete / Failed /
+		// Suspended children are filtered out above and accounted for via
+		// the parent's own count). A Running child with Total == 0 has
+		// no measurable progress yet, so it contributes nothing - the
+		// previous "treat zero-total as complete" branch could push
+		// parentCount above parentTotal once the parent had already
+		// consumed its own count, producing >100% in the dashboard
+		// (#1241).
 		if child.Total == 0 {
-			// child with zero total means no work needed, consider it complete
-			parentCount += childTotal
 			continue
 		}
 		parentCount += childTotal * child.Count / child.Total
diff --git a/common/monitor/progress_test.go b/common/monitor/progress_test.go
index dee08bc25..972517f95 100644
--- a/common/monitor/progress_test.go
+++ b/common/monitor/progress_test.go
@@ -66,16 +66,20 @@ func TestProgress(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		span.children.Store("child-zero-total", childSpan)
 
-		// This should not panic
+		// This should not panic. Running zero-total child contributes 0
+		// (#1241), so parentCount = 5 against parentTotal = 10.
 		progress := span.Progress()
 		assert.Equal(t, "parent", progress.Name)
 		assert.Equal(t, StatusRunning, progress.Status)
-		assert.Equal(t, 6, progress.Count)
+		assert.Equal(t, 5, progress.Count)
 		assert.Equal(t, 10, progress.Total)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("child with zero total", func(t *testing.T) {
-		// Test case: multiple children, one with zero Total
+		// Test case: multiple children, one with zero Total. The zero-total
+		// child is still Running, so it contributes 0 - it has no measurable
+		// progress and counting it as complete would inflate the parent
+		// past its real count (#1241).
 		span := &Span{
 			name:   "parent",
 			status: StatusRunning,
@@ -91,7 +95,7 @@ func TestProgress(t *testing.T) {
 			count:  50,
 			start:  time.Now(),
 		}
-		// Add a child with zero total
+		// Add a Running zero-total child. Contributes 0 until it Completes.
 		child2 := &Span{
 			name:   "child2",
 			status: StatusRunning,
@@ -102,15 +106,17 @@ func TestProgress(t *testing.T) {
 		span.children.Store("child1", child1)
 		span.children.Store("child2", child2)
 
-		// This should not panic
+		// This should not panic.
+		// childTotal = max(100, 0) = 100. parentCount = 5*100 + 100*50/100 + 0 = 550.
 		progress := span.Progress()
 		assert.Equal(t, "parent", progress.Name)
-		assert.Equal(t, 650, progress.Count)
+		assert.Equal(t, 550, progress.Count)
 		assert.Equal(t, 1000, progress.Total)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("all children with zero total", func(t *testing.T) {
-		// Test case: all children have zero Total
+		// All children Running with Total=0: childTotal falls back to 1,
+		// children themselves contribute 0 (they have no progress yet).
 		span := &Span{
 			name:   "parent",
 			status: StatusRunning,
@@ -118,7 +124,6 @@ func TestProgress(t *testing.T) {
 			count:  5,
 			start:  time.Now(),
 		}
-		// All children have zero total
 		child1 := &Span{
 			name:   "child1",
 			status: StatusRunning,
@@ -136,11 +141,36 @@ func TestProgress(t *testing.T) {
 		span.children.Store("child1", child1)
 		span.children.Store("child2", child2)
 
-		// This should not panic
-		// childTotal=1, so parentCount = 5 + 1 + 1 = 7, parentTotal = 10
+		// childTotal=1, parentCount = 5*1 + 0 + 0 = 5, parentTotal = 10.
 		progress := span.Progress()
 		assert.Equal(t, "parent", progress.Name)
-		assert.Equal(t, 7, progress.Count)
+		assert.Equal(t, 5, progress.Count)
 		assert.Equal(t, 10, progress.Total)
 	})
+
+	t.Run("zero-total running child does not exceed parent total", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Regression for #1241. Parent has consumed all its own count and
+		// a Running zero-total child is registered. Old behaviour pushed
+		// parentCount to 3 against parentTotal of 2 (150%); fixed
+		// behaviour keeps Count <= Total.
+		span := &Span{
+			name:   "parent",
+			status: StatusRunning,
+			total:  2,
+			count:  2,
+			start:  time.Now(),
+		}
+		child := &Span{
+			name:   "child",
+			status: StatusRunning,
+			total:  0,
+			count:  0,
+			start:  time.Now(),
+		}
+		span.children.Store("child", child)
+
+		got := span.Progress()
+		assert.LessOrEqual(t, got.Count, got.Total,
+			"Count (%d) must not exceed Total (%d)", got.Count, got.Total)
+	})
 }