We describe a methodology for developing high performance programs running on clusters of SMP nodes. Our methodology is based on a small kernel (SIMPLE) of collective communication primitives that make efficient use of the hybrid shared and message passing environment. We illustrate the power of our methodology by presenting experimental results for sorting integers, two-dimensional fast Fourier transforms (FFT), and constraint-satisfied searching. Our testbed is a cluster of DEC AlphaServer 2100 4/275 nodes interconnected by an ATM switch. (Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-97-48.)