User participation during software projects has long been considered a prerequisite for system success, and yet these initiatives continue to be rife with troubles. This is particularly true of enterprise software such as ERP and CRM, which, in spite of its popularity, is difficult to implement and is prone to user resistance. This, then, begs the question of why these enterprise systems run into problems even with when garnering user participation. One response may be to question the importance of participation per se; a more considered response is likely to be one that emphasizes the need to more closely explore the relationship between participation and the system in use. To this end, we adopt a cross-case comparison to analyze the role of user participation during two ES projects. Through the theoretical lens of 'situated learning¡¯, we argue that pre-implementation user participation can be problematic so that post-implementation involvement will be more effective in garnering user interest and assistance.