heuristic

A heuristic method.

The art of applying heuristic methods.

A technique designed for solving a problem when classic methods are too slow or fail to find any exact solution.

(of an approach to problem solving, learning, or discovery) That employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect; not following or derived from any theory.

(of a method or algorithm) That solves a problem more quickly but is not certain to arrive at an optimal solution.

(of an argument) That reasons from the value of a method or principle that has been shown by experimental investigation to be a useful aid in learning, discovery and problem-solving.