Performance modeling and evaluation techniques are essential when designing and implementing distributed software systems. Constructing performance models for such systems can require significant effort. This paper presents Hierarchical Performance Modeling as a technique to model performance for different layers of abstraction. Once the system architecture and software functionality have been specified, this model supports performance model generation for the evaluation and analysis of computation delays of software processes, communication delays of distributed software architectures, and hardware platform alternatives. A simplified example is presented to illustrate the concepts of the Hierarchical Performance Model.