I have recently been asked to facilitate a post mortem for an IT project that was implemented successfuly, but the process left many "battle scarred". I am a (dare I say highly) competent classroom facilitator for most soft skill workshops - even conflict management! However, I am certainly open to hearing any tips, tricks or insights from those who have facilitated similar less than pleasant discussions.

CLOwannabe,

Contrary to what may be conventional wisdom I would suggest you don't do anything special at all....other than what you do best...which is to create the space where peoples' ideas have room to be heard.

Borrowing on the ideas from Weisbord and Janoff's Future Search Conference model...."honor differences without the need to reconcile them." Put another way, treat past conflict/issues as information , not problems to be solved .

In a FS we spend time on what is called "Prouds and Sorries." Various departments/stakeholders...etc have the opportunity to chart what they are personally proud of and personally sorry about...highlighting the proudest of the prouds...sorriest of the sorries.

They get to report out...and that's it. A function of owning it not moaning it.
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There is a lesson for everyone in your example. When leaders place too much focus on the results side of the results-process-relationships equation, and less attention to the relationships, there is always the risk of getting the job done but leaving lots of casualties. The payment comes when those casualties are asked to participate in the next project.