This means play Jenga with your code. Remove a bit at a time.
This can have different stopping conditions, depending on what you're using it for:
- If you're trying to figure out what bit of code is causing a crash, remove code bit by bit until you either get a different error or your program stops crashing.
- If you're trying to find what bit of code does what, remove pieces and re-add them without changing anything else, observing what happens in the program.
This heuristic is also used in other fields:
- Elimination Diets: Sequentially stop eating things in order to figure out what food is causing you problems. This is more accurate and effective (and more drastic) in reverse, where you stop eating all potential food triggers, slowly re-adding things in sequence.